Between Water and the Phoenix (Rewrite)
by Sangai-Havoc
Summary: (Rewrite) Merlin Ambrosias Tsunagi, descendant of the First Magician, was lying low till he was attacked by a False Hero. Now he's stuck between two Clans: Sitri and Phenex, as their [Pawn] and [Bishop] he'll have to juggle his own magical studies and experiments with his duties as a Devil. OcXHarem. Parts of Fairy Tail included.
1. Chapter 1

"" - Speech

_'' - Thought_

**[] - Tiamat/ Dragons**

...

A five foot eight tall young man yawned into his open hand before moving to ruffle his scruffy mop of black hair, the tips a vibrant red which almost dominated his messy fringe. His eyes were sky blue and were behind a pair of purple rectangular framed glasses. From his uniform it was obvious that he attended Kuoh Academy, although he had replaced the ribbon with a black skinny tie and wore a pair of comfortable sneakers on his feet due to the long but peaceful walk he had to take each morning to get to the campus.

**[*Yawn*…How are you planning to spend your evening, Merlin?]** A female voice spoke up from the young man's mind, Merlin pondering the question before shrugging as he mentally replied

_'No idea Tiamat…Maybe work on the tomes, given the girls are busy with jobs I don't expect any uninvited guests'_

Merlin didn't notice the blonde haired beauty that was walking around the upcoming corner till it was too late, both colliding and falling onto there backsides as Merlin shook his head in confusion before picking himself up as he spoke "Sorry…"

The blonde quickly returned to her senses as she picked herself up, green eyes scanning around the floor to see if she'd dropped anything as she brushed down her uniform, making her large breasts bounce slightly from it. Merlin remembered seeing her amongst the third years, Reina Phenex if he recalled correctly, oldest daughter of the Phenex Clan and fourth out of five children.

She was considered one of the top contenders for trying to take one of the 'Onee-sama' positions from Rias Gremory or Akeno Himejima due to her hourglass figure which stood out more from the uniform and her long blonde hair which reached her thighs at the back in soft curls while was held in twin, chest length, plaits at the front with red ribbon keeping them together.

"You should be…Pervert" Reina retorted annoyed as she walked off, Merlin sighing to himself before finding his eyes drawn to a ruby chess piece lying on the ground. Picking it up he rolled the Bishop piece around between his fingers, guessing she had dropped it when she ran into him.

**[Looks like she didn't even pick up the spike in magical energy from you]** Tiamat spoke up thoughtfully, Merlin slipping into the inside pocket of his blazer as he mentally replied

_'Yeah…I best get it back to her later on when she's calmer. Rather not have Phenex Flames shot at me if she knew I was aware of the supernatural'_

Tiamat chuckled in response as Merlin continued on his way, soon noticing other students heading towards the same school he was. Mostly girls who were discussing there plans for the weekend while he noticed a few giving him embarrassed glances. Merlin was considered the smartest student of the second years, although he knew it was from his heritage to take in information and use if for himself. His tutors having said that he was a genius given his skill at learning and then explaining it in a way so others could understand it. He'd taken up to tutoring his fellow students himself, seeing as it would provide him with a good excuse to avoid meeting with the Devils that resided at his school, even if he was concealing his magical presence and by extension his dragon's aura.

Reaching the school gates, Merlin noticed two young women waiting on the grounds as they chatted with each other. The first was Sona Shitori, the Student Council President and otherwise known as Sona Sitri to the devils of the school, while the other was Tsubaki Shinra who was Sona's Vice President and [Queen]. He continued past them, not noticing Tsubaki slipping a folded up piece of paper into his school bag before seeing Sona give her a nod.

…

Entering his classroom, Merlin scowled as he heard the Perverted Trio's usual topic of discussion as he sat down near the window. He'd at least have expected that Hyodo Issei would've had the pervert knocked out of him by Koneko by now, since he'd joined the Occult Research Club, otherwise known as Rias Gremory's peerage.

**[It's laughable that Ddraig's inside that pervert]** Tiamat chuckled amused, Merlin smirking softly at what the dragon would think when it woke up as he pulled out what he needed from his bag.

"Merlin-san, are we still on for later?" A young woman with messy brown hair in two pig tails asked, her eyes hidden behind pink framed glasses as Merlin turned to her and nodded as he replied

"Yeah, Kiryuu-san…Is after school alright?" Kiryuu smirked as she nodded, moving to take her seat as Merlin cleaned his glasses for a moment before the teacher entered and started there lesson.

…

Merlin sighed as he started to walk back home, rubbing his temples with his fingers as he muttered "At least she didn't stare at my crotch this time…"

**[Well you have used magic to stop whatever her ability was, even if no one would notice it]** Tiamat chuckled amused, Merlin stepping into the park which provided the shortcut home.

His eyes narrowed at sensing the build up of holy energy from his side, holding his hand out towards it as a spear of light shot forth only to slam and explode against a white defensive magic circle that had appeared. A female Fallen Angel stepped out of the trees with a frown on her face as she crossed her arms under her large assets.

"Tch, a Magician…I didn't think this would be difficult" She spoke annoyed, Merlin rolling his eyes as he countered with a smirk

"So you really didn't do your homework did you?" Putting one hand into the pocket of his slacks, the Fallen Angel didn't notice the small yellow magic circle that formed on Merlin's palm as the Fallen Angel fumed as she created another spear of light in her hands as she shouted

"Don't you mock me, lowly human!" Merlin hopped out of the way of the next spear, throwing his hand out as he countered

"Thunder!" A bolt of thunder shot from his hand which the Fallen dodged by taking to the air while making another spear in her hand only for her eyes to widen as Merlin launched a spear of flames from his other hand. The spear clipped her side, burning her and her left wing as she screamed in pain and rage as she flung her spear back at him.

Merlin rolled out of the way of the light attack, swinging his hand in front of him and conjuring a large yellow magic circle which started to spark with electricity before Tiamat spoke up **[Damn it! Merlin they found us]**

Merlin silently cursed as he and the Fallen Angel heard footsteps coming from the side both turning to see a large built Greek man with short blond hair approach them with a smirk as he spoke "Hello Traitor!"

"Hello Hercules…I take it you're here to force me back into your group of fake Heroes" Merlin asked annoyed, taking a few steps before getting into a ready position.

"…Fake Heroes…? We are descendants of true Heroes, Merlin, those who made a difference to the world. Don't you want to prove that humans are the strongest?"

**[This is not good…]** Tiamat started, Merlin's eyes narrowing as she continued

**[His magical defence has got even tougher since last time we fought him as has his Sacred Gear]**

_'I guess we'll have to use that then unless you want to help me unlock my true Balance Break'_ Merlin replied mentally, Tiamat frowning in response

**[You know you've not been able to do something that would unleash my true Balance Break… and that artificial power you have isn't helping you unlock it]**

_'How else did you expect me to fight him? Plus Natsu had enough fun helping me test it out'_ Merlin mentally retorted getting Tiamat to sigh as the Fallen Angel shook at sensing the power from Hercules. A light spear formed in her hands which she threw quickly, Hercules catching it like it was nothing before turning to look at the Fallen Angel as he muttered

"Pathetic…" Hercules shattered the spear easily with his hand, making the Fallen Angel shake in fear as she made a new spear before charging with it only for her to explode after Hercules hit her with a punch, his [Variant Detonation] activating with but a thought.

"Now… Where were we?" Hercules asked as he turned back to Merlin who scowled as he held his hands out in a ready stance as he spoke

"[Blade-Wing Tonfa]" Forming in each hand was a tonfa which had a purple grip with a identical coloured jewel set on the top, the two poles were metallic blue and shaped like dragon wings curving up just past his elbows with sharp edges.

"What are those…? Your new little toy" Hercules asked smugly, Merlin smirking as he spoke two surprising words

"Balance Break!" Hercules' eyes widened in shock as a pillar of dark blue energy erupted around Merlin covering him from view as Tiamat's voice roared out.

**[Sub Species Balance Break: Chaos Dragon Slayer Force]**

The pillar dispersed a few moments later to reveal Merlin, who was now wearing a purple sleeveless jacket and black slacks that were tucked into black boots. Dark blue scales covering the sides of his face and neck while also going around his now purple reptilian eyes, his glasses having disappeared unneeded with his dragon like sight. Both of Merlin's arms were covered in thick dark blue scales, his fingernails now sharp claws.

"Heh, you couldn't beat me as a Magician so you became a dragon" Hercules scoffed, Merlin launching forwards with shocking speed before swinging a fist into Heracles' gut making his eyes widen in surprise as the wind was knocked from his lungs and he was forced back in a skid for several feet as Merlin muttered

"Your small mind couldn't understand what I did, Hercules… That's why you are a brawler and I am a Magician… **Chaos Dragon Roar!**" Merlin took a deep breathe, his cheeks expanding before he brought both hands up to channel the mixture of blue fire, lightning and misty ice that shot forwards from his mouth.

Hercules disappeared in the explosion, Merlin taking a moment to gauge his opponent before charging forwards with blue lightning covering both hands. Hercules burst out from the smoke, slight burns covering his arms as he gritted his teeth and drew back one of his fists.

"**Lightning Dragon Terravolt Claw**" Merlin roared, the blue lightning around his hands forming into large claws as he threw one hand forwards to meet the Greek's attack. The two attacks clashed in a giant explosion, mostly due to [Variant Detonation's] ability to create explosions, the smoke blasting away as Merlin declared

"**Ice Dragon Arctic Hammerarm**" Hercules' head reeled back as the bulky ice covered fist slammed into his chin, the Greek smirking as he adjusted his stance before bringing both hands down in a axe swing which was blocked by a arm covered in ice shaped like a wing. The resultant explosion making the crater the pair was standing in deeper while shattering the ice Merlin was using to defend himself.

Merlin gritted his teeth as he threw back a fist covered in blue flames back, feeling his injuries starting to affect him along with the drain on his magic by the Sub Species.

**[Merlin! The Sub Species is going to fall apart soon, you need to end this]** Tiamat warned as Merlin ducking under Hercules' fist before shouting

"**Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Azure Prominence Hailstorm!**" Merlin unleashed a barrage of strikes at Hercules, each one imbued with fire, ice or lightning magic as the Greek was forced back. A final uppercut launched Hercules into the air, Merlin panting as he took a deep breathe as he declared

"**Chaos Dragon** Roar…" Merlin's widened in shock as he felt the power from his forced Sub Species vanish, collapsing to one knee as his appearance and clothes returned to normal as he tried to regain his breathe as Tiamat spoke up

**[We need to get away now!]**

"Die Traitor!" Hercules shouted with a feral grin as he charged at Merlin, the magician managing to thrust an arm out as three white magic circles formed and merged into a single dome shaped shield around him as he muttered

"Guardian Dome…" Hercules growled as he smashed his fist against the dome and making a crack appear after the explosion had cleared. Merlin summoned a magic circle under his feet, hoping that his shield could hold out long enough for him to teleport to safety, only for his eyes to widen in shock as the circle shattered under his feet just as his own shield was destroyed and the explosion engulfed him.

"Haha! You didn't think we would let you escape, traitor… Georg gave me a charm to stop any transportation magic circles" Hercules laughed loudly, Merlin coughing up blood as he tried to pull himself back to his feet. The front of Merlin's school uniform had been destroyed in the blast as had his glasses, scorch marks covering his chest and face as Merlin brought both hands up in front of him with crossed palms as he growled out

"Abyss Break" The silver-grey magic circle appeared before him, Hercules looking shocked at seeing the black haired magician not only getting back up but activating a dangerously strong spell in his weakened state. Hercules silently sighed in relief as the magic circle failed and Merlin to spew up more blood before he collapsed backwards, grinning to himself as he walked off to tell the others of his victory against the Magician.

**[Merlin…Damn it, are you alright?]** Tiamat asked concerned, her eyes widening as she felt Merlin get weaker as she remembered what had happened earlier

**[Hold on Merlin, You'll be fine]** That was the last thing Merlin heard before everything went black.

…

**[Merlin…I had no choice but to get them to turn you into a devil.]** Tiamat spoke when Merlin regained consciousness, keeping his eyes closed as he mentally replied

_'It's alright…the girls would've been sad if I died and really it's my fault for not thinking that Georg wouldn't have planned someway to stop my escape'_

"What am I suppose to do now? I've lost my [Bishop] Piece" Reina's voice spoke out angrily, Merlin mentally arching an eyebrow as he asked

_'You managed to use Phenex's Bishop on me then…?'_ Tiamat nodded in response as she explained

**[Luckily you had Phenex's Bishop otherwise I don't think Sitri would've had enough to bring you back]**

"You should have kept a better eye on your Evil Pieces, Phenex" Sona Sitri spoke up in response to Reina while Merlin decided to expand his senses to cover the room they were in, picking up the demonic auras of several other people in the room, some seemed more familiar then others did.

_'I should've really checked out more then just Gremory's group cause of Ddraig'_ Merlin thought annoyed, slowly opening his eyes and realising he didn't have his glasses on. His blurry vision moved to take his current state, managing to see that he was naked and only covered by a thin blanket on what looked to be a three seat sofa.

"I'm taking him into my peerage, Sitri" Reina spoke as Sona quickly retorted

"You can't while my [Pawn] pieces are inside of him…So we have no choice but to share him" Neither seemed to notice that Merlin was awake as he rubbed his eyes with one hand before pulling a spare pair of glasses from his giant dimensional pocket before using some Re-quip magic to make a school uniform appear on him.

Merlin sat up, surprised that he wasn't suffering any pain as he looking at Reina and Sona shooting angry glares at each other before he spoke with a sigh "Thank you for bringing me back Sitri-san, Phenex-san"

"Oh…So you knew already, Tsunagi-san?" Sona asked slightly surprised along with Reina as Merlin nodded and replied

"I take after my namesake and ancestor in that regard…I knew of you, Phenex-san and Gremory-san the moment I stepped onto the school grounds during my first day. Personally I would've thought that you'd suppress your demonic aura while around humans…especially with Fallen Angels and Priests about" A small part of Merlin thought it would've been cooler if he had a cup of tea or something to drink but dismissed it as possibly being taken the wrong way.

"Your ancestor and namesake…No way…Y-You're a descendant of THE Merlin Ambrosias" Reina spoke shocked as she realised, Merlin smirked slightly at everyone's shocked looks as he nodded

"Yes…Tsunagi is my mother's maiden name. I'm sure Sitri-san has worked it out by now" drawing a confused look from Reina who turned to regard Sona who smiled slightly as she explained

"Merlin A. Tsunagi…You disguised your heritage as your middle name and middle names aren't used too much any more. It meant you wouldn't draw any attention from us unless you wanted it"

"Exactly" Merlin spoke with a nod, ruffling his hair for a moment before stretching his body as he stood up before examining his aura as Tiamat spoke up

**[Your magic reserves have grown, other then that you've just got the standard upgrades from Sitri using [Pawns] on you]**

"I guess there isn't really a need to explain the history of the three factions" Reina spoke happily, Sona frowning as she decided to ask

"What happened to you to cause you to summon me?"

"It's a long story but the short version is someone from my past was getting revenge for something stupid after I had fought a Fallen Angel. I ended up underestimating his allies before getting smashed into a crater. Luckily, Tiamat called you and manipulated Phenex-san's [Bishop] so I could use it. She said your pieces wouldn't have worked otherwise"

"Tiamat…?" Reina and Sona spoke together in shock, Reina continuing

"As in the Blue Dragon King…"

"…Queen. She gets annoyed if you call her a King" Merlin replied, feeling Tiamat smiling happily as he corrected them while Reina almost seemed giddy at who her new servant was and the power he held while Sona gave him an impressed look as she spoke

"Well, you already know that your Phenex's [Bishop]…but I also used my three [Pawns] on you, each of them were mutated pieces"

Merlin nodding in understanding as he glanced around the room, taking in the auras of his fellow devil servants as he noticed they were standing/ sitting on opposite sides of the room. On the left was Sona's, who she chose to introduce first "These are my other pieces, Tsubaki Shinra, my [Queen], Reya Kusaka and Momo Hanakai, my [Bishops], Tomoe Meguri, my [Knight], Tsubasa Yura, my [Rook], and Genshirou Saji and Ruruko Nimura, my other [Pawns]."

"Nice to meet you all" Merlin greeted with a small bow, Saji frowning at him as Tiamat spoke up amused

**[It seems the boy has part of Vritra]**

Reina went onto introducing her group as Merlin looked them over with surprised to see two girls from his class, Kira Katase and Madoka Murayama sharing quiet whispers, both being [Pawns]. The others in the room he recognised to some degree, Kanu Unchou who was a [Knight], a third year purple haired beauty who ran the Spear Club alongside the Kendo Club, Kazehana Sahashi who was another [Bishop], a student from the college part of the school and who was drooled over by other boys due to her sexy figure and flirty personality. Also there was Aya Natsume who was a [Rook] and a cheery first year with orange hair and a large chest and being part of the Karate club with Tsubasa meant she wasn't someone the boys wanted to annoy and Yukari Takeba who was a third year and part of the Archery Club as well as being Reina's [Queen].

"So what are we going to do now then?" Merlin asked curiously, turning his gaze back onto Reina and Sona.

"I'd like to find out more about your capabilities, so what type of magic are you capable of using Merlin-san?" Sona asked curiously, Merlin taking a moment to think before counting off on his fingers

"I can do Enchantment Magic, Magician's Magic, Fairy Magic, Black Magic, White Magic, Devil Magic, Fallen Magic and Alchemy... If I went into every style we'd be here for the rest of the evening"

"A-amazing…" Reina and Sona spoke in shock, Merlin glancing around to see the other devils looking surprised while Yukari, Kazehana, Momo and Reya looked impressed at him and Saji looked at him angry and jealous.

Tiamat could only giggle amused at there reactions, she had been impressed when she awoke to find her host was the descendant of the First Magician and that he had taken to learning the magic systems of other factions with the help of some of the magic tomes he had in his library, some having gained more unexpected ways then others but still it was all for the greater good.

"So… Is there anything else left today or can I head home?" Merlin asked curiously, putting his hands into his pockets as he looked around the council room.

"No we just wanted to introduce you to our groups and inform you of the histories of the three factions but considering you already know it would be best to wait till tomorrow to see what training we need to do tomorrow after school" Sona answered, Reina nodding in reluctant agreement as Merlin replied

"Alright then… I'll see you all tomorrow then"

…

Merlin sighed as he pushed open the door of the small bungalow that was his home, the inside somewhat spartanly decorated as he closed the door behind him and slipped off his shoes. The layout was rather normal aside from the set of stairs against the far wall which led to the lower floors which wasn't known to anyone aside from people who had already visited.

The empty living room on his right was filled with three large plush sofas and a modest sized television and entertainment system, primarily for the uninvited guests that usually crashed at his place. On the left was a modest sized kitchen that had a large table with numerous chairs around it and at the back was his bedroom with a bathroom which was also connected to his bedroom as well as the hall.

"Looks like it'll be a quiet evening" Merlin spoke to himself with a sigh, Tiamat chuckling as she added

**[Well its better then letting that pink haired dragon brat and ice using stripper from destroying half the place]** Merlin nodded annoyed remembering the last time the pair of mages came around and ended up fighting for some stupid reason till he had knocked out both of them with sleep magic.

Glancing down at the floor, Merlin checked the faintly drawn magic circle that allowed his friends to transport straight into the place, a small part of him wondering why he put it there before remembering the blonde haired spirit summoner who got annoyed at him if he didn't keep in touch.

Overall there were three underground floors, each having there own bathroom, as did the ground floor. The first floor was filled with six guest rooms, glowing balls of yellow light attached to the walls to offer the same sort of daylight as if there was windows and would change brightness depending on the time of day or if they picked up anyone in the room. Although they would turn off if someone fell asleep in the room.

The second floor had three large rooms, one of which was his magical library/ laboratory/ store room for his Magician work and things he'd accumulated during his life so far. The other rooms were a large empty area which functioned as a training area for him and his guests and a cinema and games room.

The third floor was something he had added in at request from his frequent visitors, being a large pool, sauna and bathing area which he personally didn't use unless there were others around.

Merlin entered his own bedroom, dropping off his school bag onto the desk that sat in his room before starting to get changed into his normal outfit. This consisted of a pair of thick black slacks and dress shoes, a white long sleeved dress shirt which was hidden under a long green trench coat which was buttoned down to his waist at the front, the sides sloping back to make the ankle length back fan out behind him and allow him freedom of movement in a fight.

**[So we're going to the guild hall right?]** Tiamat asked knowingly, Merlin nodding as he answered

"I should at least tell them what happened otherwise Erza will kick my ass for not calling for help in a life or death situation"

**[She's going to do that anyway…]** Tiamat replied amused, Merlin frowning as he muttered

"Not helping…" Merlin sighed before remembering something he needed to check on as he held his hands out before him

"[Blade-Wing Tonfa]" Summoning the two blue tonfa, Merlin frowned at the large cracks that ran along there length remembering how fragile Artificial Sacred Gears were from the Azazel's notes before muttered

"At least they didn't break"

**[I still can't believe you made an Artificial Sacred Gear with one of my jewels… Especially with notes stolen from the Governor of Grigori]** Tiamat muttered annoyed, Merlin rolling his eyes as he pointed out

"Well I wasn't the one who stole the data…Anyway no one at the Khaos Brigade can try and make Artificial Sacred Gears now; I destroyed all their data and stole practically every magical object and tome I could get my hand on."

**[Yeah, that is how you met Lucy-chan isn't it… Her Knight in magic armour]** Tiamat spoke with an amused tone at seeing Merlin sigh as he dismissed the tonfa and muttered quietly

"Don't joke about that… I couldn't let those idiots try and take advantage of the magicians they had captured. Lucy-san has a lot of potential and I just couldn't let her be used by them"

**[Lucy-chan isn't going to give up on you, you know…?] **Tiamat spoke with a frown, Merlin shrugging his shoulders before dismissing his Artificial Sacred Gear and activating a transportation magic circle underneath his feet which flashed after a moment as it activated.

…

Opening his eyes, Merlin almost felt comfortable at the moderately packed storeroom he had found himself in, his gaze trailing to the magic circle that had been drawn onto the floor underneath him which would allow people to come to his home, it having been insisted by Lucy and a couple of others who didn't like the idea that he had taken to living in Japan rather then Fiore.

Fiore was a hidden Kingdom, positioned somewhere around the Bermuda Triangle and hidden by several heavy layers of magic barriers so the magical kingdom could preserve magic rather then the modern world which was driven on Science.

Taking a calming breathe at hearing the loud bangs and yells, Merlin moved to leave the storeroom to see another fight to be going on in the Fairy Tail guildhall. Luckily for Merlin, several key people were missing from the brawl that meant he wouldn't have to get dragged into it.

Ignoring the flying chairs and shouts as the mages continued to brawl, Merlin walked from the storeroom towards the bar while having to use small barrier magic circles to stop the flying projectiles that might have hit him.

"Hey Merlin-kun, if your looking for Lisanna-chan, she's not here at the moment" Mirajane spoke with a teasing smile as Merlin blushed slightly as he took a seat at the bar, offering her a slight smile as she handed him a mug of tea as he replied

"Hello Mirajane-san… How are you?"

"I'm good… Lucy isn't here either, Merlin-kun, although I think she and little sis are planning something" Mirajane answered, her teasing smile growing slightly as Merlin turning redder. Merlin started to regret explain to Makarov about Tiamat and the Dragon Aura which would mean he'd draw in women and rivals and the reason he wasn't going to join Fairy Tail within Mirajane's presence.

"I need to speak with Makarov-san" Merlin spoke after taking a moment to calm down Mirajane's smile dropping slightly as she replied

"Oh, Master is in his office… I can go get him if you like" Merlin nodded as he added his thanks before Mirajane went to get the Guild Master. Taking a long drink of his tea, Merlin let his thoughts wander as he realised if Lucy wasn't here then Erza wouldn't be either if they were on a mission. That realisation made him mentally sighing in relief at not picking her aura up as Tiamat chuckled

**[Looks like she won't be finding out for a bit then]**

"Hey Merlin…" A familiar upbeat female voice spoke behind him, Merlin smirking slightly as he glanced back to look at the shorter blue haired girl that was standing with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she asked

"Waiting for Lucy to come back or….?"

"Hi Levy… You know me and Lucy aren't like that" Merlin spoke with a sigh, the blunette moving to sit down on a stool next to him even as the black haired magician felt the eyes of Levy's two teammates locked on him as she added

"Yet… You know she and Lisanna talk about you a lot to me. Oh, thanks for the book on Script Magic, it's really helped me"

"Don't worry about the book, I've never had much interest in Script Magic myself… as for Lucy-san and Lisanna-san, well we're just friends" Merlin replied, taking another sip of his drink and missing Levy's frown as another voice spoke up

"I know things are dangerous around you, Merlin but keeping people at arm length will only hurt them in the end"

"Yes but it avoids people getting in danger cause of me…Makarov-san" Merlin replied, looking up at the elderly mage who was frowning at him as he added

"You noticed already right?"

"Yes… What happened?" Makarov spoke seriously, Merlin taking a calming breathe as he started to explain.

…

Reina and Sona sat opposite each other as they looked at the chessboard between them, the match being about who would be taking the lead in Merlin's Devil training although both knew that any magic training was unneeded for the descendant of the [First Magician] and the fact they had found him in a modest sized crater when they had both been summoned by Tiamat.

"Merlin-san certainly seems like an interesting person" Sona spoke as she made her move, Reina nodding as he replied proudly

"Fitting for a member of my peerage, Sitri"

"Let me remind you Phenex, neither of us would have revived him on our own" Sona shot back, Reina grumbling about know-it-alls as she made her next move.

"Checkmate" Sona stated with a small smile, Reina frowning as she looked over the board before grumbling

"Fine… I'll have Kira bring him here tomorrow so we can start on his training"

"Good…" Sona replied with a small smile, Reina huffing as she moved to leave the Student Council room, Yukari moving to catch up with her as Reina asked

"What do you think of Merlin-san?" Looking at her [King], Yukari took a few moments to think, a small smile forming on her face as she answered

"Merlin-san is the smartest of his year, he's tactically minded given that he hid the fact he was a Magician and the host of the Chaos Karma Dragon from all of the supernatural beings in the school and he's nothing like the other guys at this school… Honestly I think he's a great addition even if we have to share him with Sitri-san"

"Sounds like someone has a crush on our new [Bishop]" Reina smirked slightly at her friend and [Queen] turned red and looked away, the blonde giggling before she continued

"But I agree with you, Merlin-san possibly has the power to give even Riser-niisan and his peerage a run for his money and he's the best guy at this school to join our peerage. Honestly I don't know what Gremory was thinking with Hyodo even if he is the wielder of the [Boosted Gear]"

Yukari scowled at the thought of lead pervert of the Perverted Trio, nodding in agreement at remembering that the Perverted Trio had been getting away with their antics for too long and now one of them potentially could annoy them for longer if the Phenex-Gremory Union happened.

…

Merlin mentally groaned as he walked to school the next day, the reactions from the guild members and Makarov has been what he had expected. They were all annoyed and angry at him for not calling for their help but were at least relieved he was alive, although Mirajane nearly went [Satan Soul] on him to beat some sense into him only to be placated when Merlin had said he'd take Lisanna and Lucy on dates when they came back and Makarov pointed out Erza would kick his ass anyway then she came back from her mission with the others.

It also hadn't helped that Merlin had been stuck with nightmares for what Erza had done the last time she saw fit to punish him which almost ended with him losing a limb to her sword if he hadn't given her some strawberry cheesecake he had just bought.

**[At least now you know to let her buy her cake first]** Tiamat commented with a chuckle, Merlin mentally nodding before a friendly voice broke his thoughts.

"Good morning Merlin-sempai!" Aya spoke with a friendly smile, Merlin turning to see her walking on his left as he offered the auburn haired girl a small smile as he replied

"Morning Nastume-san"

"You can call me Aya, Sempai" Aya pouted at hearing him call her be her family name, Merlin replying with a slight smile

"Alright then…" Aya nodded understandingly as they continued walking drawing looks from the other students before Reina and Yukari's voice called out from behind them

"Good morning, Merlin-san, Aya-chan"

"Morning Phenex-sempai, Takeba/Yukari-sempai" Merlin and Aya greeted the blonde and brunette she-devils, both of there smiles grew as Yukari took to walking on Merlin's other side while Reina stood next to Aya before looked him over before asking

"How are you adapting Merlin-san?"

"I'm fine…I used a spell to improve my resistance to the sun this morning" Merlin replied quietly, Reina's smile growing as they started to see the other students travelling to school as well, there hushed whispers filling the air as they wondered why Merlin was walking with Aya, Reina and Yukari.

As the school came within sight, Merlin could see Sona talking to Rias Gremory while Tsubaki listened in as Reina spoke up "Looks like Gremory is trying to find out about that crater you left Merlin"

"Oh that…" Merlin spoke, realising that he had caused quite a mess when fighting Hercules

**[Half of Fairy Tail would be proud of that]** Tiamat spoke with a sigh as Merlin spoke

"Morning Kaichou, Fukukaichou, Gremory-san"

"Good Morning Merlin-san, I was just talking to Rias about a new student and why she doesn't understand about adding you to my group" Sona spoke, Merlin nodding as Reina asked

"Another Devil in your group Gremory…?"

"Yes, Phenex, I have my Second [Bishop]" Rias replied with a frown as Merlin asked

"It makes sense, Gremory isn't very good at sensing auras so I doubt she would notice that I was a descendant of the [First Magician], let alone a Magician to begin with or that I even had Tiamat within my Sacred Gear"

Rias' mouth dropped open at hearing that, Reina smirking as she added "Yeah, Gremory Merlin here is my [Bishop] now… Although I do have to share him with Sitri"

Rias heard the mumbled latter part looking confused to Sona who explained "I used my three [Pawn] pieces on him while he already held Phenex's [Bishop] and they both got included in the revival ritual"

"Well at least Ise took up eight Pawn pieces and I have full control of him" Rias spoke with a smirk, Sona and Merlin rolling there eyes before the former retorted

"The three [Pawns] were Mutation pieces, Rias, at the very least Merlin-san has already taken the equivalent [Pawns] to match up to a [Queen] and even if I do have to share him, Merlin-san is stronger then Hyodo" Rias frowning again, wondering how she could have overlooked Merlin's potential before Tsubaki spoke up

"Kaichou…"

"Right Tsubaki… We have some paperwork still to do, Phenex don't forget about bringing Merlin to the Council Room after school"

"I've already informed his guide about it" Reina replied while rolling her eyes, Rias smirking slightly while Merlin arched an eyebrow before realising the time and the group splitting up to head to there own classrooms.

…

Class had been interesting for Merlin, he'd been questioned about why he was walking with Yukari, Aya, Reina and seen talking to Rias, Sona and Tsubaki by the rest of the class which he managed to explain as he was walking in the same direction as the former three and Sona had asked him to be apart of the Student Council yesterday and he was checking in with what she wanted him to do today.

That had shocked most of the class although he had heard a few of the girls cry out that they were losing him to Sona and Reina, not that he knew of a small fan club before the outburst and given Tiamat a laugh at how he had missed them in the first place.

Currently it was the end of the day and Merlin was packing up his stuff as Kira and Madoka stopped before his desk, a nervous smile playing on both of there faces, along with a slight blush, as the former spoke "Phenex-sempai asked me to bring you to the Council room"

Merlin nodded in understanding, finishing packing his bag as he stood up and spoke "Alright…"

…

Author's Notes

Here's the first chapter of the rewrite. There's several differences I've made the most prominent is Merlin was part of the Khaos Brigade before which seemed like something I really overlooked with doing given who his ancestor is and what Cao Cao was doing with gathering descendants of Heroes and also will explain the power up Merlin has gotten as well which is also the reason I changed his place in Sona's peerage so as to not kick out Loup and to represent Merlin's new strength which is about Queen level.

Also I will be including part of Fairy Tail as well as incorporating a few Magic styles from there like the Dragon Slayer Style Merlin uses in this chapter and also Archive Magic. The Chaos Cannon is still in his base form so Merlin doesn't have a second gun and I'm not sure about having him unlock a second gun with the boost in Magic abilities I'm giving him.

Blade-Wing Tonfa is an Artificial Sacred Gear made from Merlin follow stolen notes from Azazel, as explained above, and is as every bit unstable as Azazel's Downfall Spear at the moment.

As for Reina's peerage, I changed them for the most part as I wasn't too knowledgeable about the characters I picked before. Yukari Takeba is from the Persona series, Kazehana is from Sekirei, Kanu is from Ikkitousen and Aya is from Tenjou Tenge.

Anyway hope you enjoy this.


	2. Chapter 2

"" – Speech

'' – Thought

[] – Sacred Gear

**[] - Dragon**

…

Merlin followed the two Kendo girls into the Student Council room, spotting that everyone else was there already as he closed the door behind him as Sona approached him while speaking "Ok Merlin-san. Today we are going to test how strong youare but first we need to see what you can do with your Sacred Gear as well"

"Alright… [Chaos Cannon]!" Merlin spoke, holding his left hand out to the side as a bright glow formed around his hand. The light faded to reveal the bulky hand-cannon like gun, metallic blue in colour, with a purple jewel set above the purple handgrip while his index finger rested near the trigger.

"So that's the [Chaos Cannon]?" Reina spoke intrigued as she approached him, Merlin nodding as he explained

"Able to create any type of bullet as long as the user has knowledge on it… or more specifically has the magical knowledge for the effects they want a bullet to produce"

"How long have you had access to it?" Sona asked curiously, Merlin shrugging unsure as Tiamat answered aloud

**[About six years… His parents wanted to make sure Merlin was a strong Magician before letting him know about me]**

"Well let's get onto testing you then, Merlin" Reina spoke, Merlin nodding in understanding.

…

Merlin rolled his shoulders as he stood in the open grounds near the Old School Building, having changed into his magician clothes which had been a surprise to his fellow Devils. Saji stood on the other side, his [Absorption Line] already activated as was Merlin's [Chaos Cannon] as the two males turned to regard Sona as she spoke "This will just a spar, no [Promotion] for either of you. Understand?"

"Yes Kaichou" Saji and Merlin replied, Yukari and Tsubaki creating a barrier around the two once Sona had moved to stand with the rest of her peerage. Reina was smirking as she waited for the signal to start to be given while the other girls of both peerages watched on curiously.

"Start!" Sona called, Saji jumping back as he pointed his Sacred Gear at Merlin as he called

"Stretch my line!" A semi-transparent purple tongue shot out from the cute black lizard head towards Merlin who hopped back to dodge as he spoke

"You need to use your Sacred Gear at times when you can surprise your opponent so you can attach the line onto them… firing it off at the start is just alerting your opponent of what you can do" Saji fumed slightly at being told how to use his own power as he gathered demonic power into his hands before firing several bullets of black energy at Merlin who stamped his foot onto the ground and forced a wall of stone to rise up and protect him from getting injured.

"Why aren't you using your Sacred Gear against me?" Saji shouted annoyed, Merlin glancing to the [Chaos Cannon] before shrugging as he replied

"I'm more use to only using it when the situation calls for it, Saji…"

Merlin waved his free hand before the stone wall, making it turn to sand and gather in the football sided sphere in his hand before throwing his hand forwards as he spoke "Earth Magic: Arrows of Stone!"

The sand in his hand changed into dozens of earth arrows as they all shot towards Saji, who balked and started to run and dodge the arrows until the sand had been used up as Merlin created a royal blue magic circle the same height as he was as he called out "Water Magic: Hydro Dragon!"

Appearing from out of the magic circle was a large serpent dragon make of water, Sona's eyes widening as it rose to its full five metre height while its body coiled around Merlin protectively while looking down at a gaping Saji who was unable to reply as Merlin silently gave it the order to attack. The water dragon dove towards Saji, missing as he jumped into the air and used his Devil wings to glide out of the way as the water dragon lost its form as it hit the ground.

"Hah! You missed me!" Saji spoke with a smirk as he landed on the water logged ground, Merlin smirking back as he pointed his [Chaos Cannon] at Saji as he retort in an amused tone

"Let's see you dodge this then… [Blaze Shot!]" A large fireball shot out from the hand cannon, Saji trying to run only for him to fall over and covering himself in mud before managing to fire a ball of demonic energy to destroy the fireball only for it to reveal the two extra fireballs behind it which collided with him before exploding.

The cloud faded to reveal Saji covering in a few burns while he coughed out smoke, Merlin relaxing as he walked forwards, dismissing his Sacred Gear as he spoke "Good spar, Saji"

"…Damn it… You're really strong" Saji grumbled as he was helped back to his feet by Merlin, who then handed him a vial of red liquid from his pocket dimension as he spoke

"Drink that, it'll get rid of your wounds" Saji frowned as he looked at the vial before looking at Merlin and downing the potion before spluttering as he groaned

"That tastes horrible"

"Medicine usually does and if it doesn't it's not working properly" Merlin countered as they came to a stop before the two peerages, Saji noticing that his strength was returning and his wounds were healing even as Momo and Ruruko rushed over to check on him as Reina spoke with a grin

"Very impressive… Don't you think so Sitri?" Sona nodded thoughtfully as she asked

"That was… Do you have any experience with other weapons or are you reliant on fighting at range?"

"I have some experience with fighting with Tonfa and my hands but it is still reliant on using my magic to amplify my own abilities to keep up with a close ranged fighter and not my preferred fighting style" Merlin answered, drawing nods from the two [Kings] as Reina spoke

"Kazehana, how about you spar with him?"

"Alright Reina-sama" Kazehana spoke with a sultry smile as she winked at Merlin, making his cheeks redden as he moved near the middle of the area so he was standing a few feet away from his fellow [Bishop].

"Looks like we can start to get to know each other Merlin-kun" Kazehana spoke in a flirty tone as she took a moment to look over Merlin. Aya, Yukari, Kira and Madoka frowning at hearing that while Kanu chuckled softly before focusing on watching the fight as Merlin took a calming breathe before speaking

"Looks that way Kazehana-sempai"

"Oh there's no need for the sempai, Merlin-kun… I may even have to start calling you Sensei with your skill in magic" Kazehana spoke, making Merlin blush more as she flicked her hand towards him launching a invisible blast of wind magic only for Merlin to hold his hand out as he called

"Earth Magic: Iron Rock Wall!" A wall of stone shot out from the ground, blocking the wind slash which carved into the stone instead of Merlin.

The magician jumped back from the wall, a brown magic circle with a formula inside appearing on his left hand as he threw it towards Kazehana as he called "Seismic Fissure!"

The whole ground shook around them, Kazehana managing to jump to avoid losing her balance before the ground started to open up under where she had been standing, Sona frowning at the display while Reina's smile grew as the former called out

"Alright that's enough!" Merlin chuckled nervously as he stopped his spell, realising he may have gone too far as Kazehana smiled seductively as she watched him undo the damage he had done with a wave of his hand as she thought

_'It looks like things will be getting interesting'_

…

An hour or two had passed since Merlin had finished his sparring with some of his fellow devils, the time being taken up by getting introduced into his Student Council duties and paperwork by Sona.

_'I hate paperwork…At least it's not as much as when I had to help Makarov-san'_ Merlin mentally grumbled as he sifted through what seemed like the thirtieth piece about some club asking for more funding or something as Tiamat spoke up

**{Well you could always use Thought Projection magic?}**

_'And show I can be in two places at the same time? That's just asking for trouble from both Phenex-sama and Kaichou'_ Merlin thought back, glancing over to where Reina was sitting with Yukari opposite her as they were playing chess.

Sona was sitting at her desk deal with some paperwork while most of the Student Council were also either working on school paperwork or were out dealing with Devil Contracts.

"Do you need any help, Merlin-sempai?" Aya asked, Merlin offering her a smile as he shook his head as he replied

"No I should be fine I'm nearly done, Aya-san" Aya was sitting on the sofa next to Yukari, glancing over her shoulder back at Merlin as he organised the papers at the desk before using a small magic circle to transport them onto Sona's desk and getting her to look slightly annoyed at him as she asked

"Was it so difficult to put them here without magic?"

"Sorry, force of habit" Merlin replied with a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head before getting up and stretching his arms about his head as he asked

"Anything else I need to do today or…?"

"No…" Sona spoke, looking over the paperwork he had finished before Reina nodding in agreement before turning back to her chess game with Yukari. Taking a moment to bid everyone a good night before he started to make his way home.

…

Merlin was entered his home, a bag of takeout in one hand while his schoolbag was over his shoulder. Closing the door behind him, he took the chance to Re-Quip out of his school clothes and into a comfy pair of jeans and a baggy purple top as he made his way down to his study as Tiamat spoke up **[You should really learn how to cook and not eat just take out and ready meals]**

"Well I didn't have time when I was younger and I've always been on the move since twelve…" Merlin replied with a shrug, entering the large room as he looked around.

The walls were covered in bookcases full of old books, most looking in good condition, if not a bit dusty, there was even stacks of book on several desks around the room. In the centre of the room was a large empty table easily big enough for someone to lie on it if needs be.

Setting down the bag on the large central table, Merlin took a moment to grab the chair before closing his eyes and making mental notes of what books he needed, a flick of his hand all he needed to do to have the particular books slowly pull themselves from their shelves or out of there stacks before gathering and landing on the central desk.

**[Working on the spell book again]** Tiamat asked knowingly, Merlin nodding as he moved to open up takeout so he could start eating while a large leather bound book appearing in front of where he sat as Tiamat continued

**[Learning magic from the other Guilds has helped you in the long term]**

_'Yeah… I still think it was lucky that Lucy vouched for me when we first arrived at the Guild'_ Merlin thought with a small smile to himself as the memories came back

**(Flashback)**

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce Merlin" A blonde haired young woman spoke with a bright smile, Merlin's eyes glancing down to where she had a tight grip on his wrist as he looked around unsure at the numerous people as he thought

_'This is not a good idea… What if the Khaos Brigade find out I'm around here'_

**[You'll be alright and you watched these mages fight with Phantom Lord and win so it should be fine]** Tiamat replied with a smile, a pink haired young man scowling at him as he stomped forwards as he growled

"You smell familiar… Like that group of kidnappers that got Lucy before"

"Quit it, Natsu! Merlin saved me and loads of others from them" Lucy shouted annoyed, moving to stand before Merlin as Natsu frowned in thought as he looked over Merlin before Happy spoke from where he was flying above

"Hey wasn't the group talking about someone called Merlin when they attacked"

Merlin gulped nervously at hearing that, Lucy quick to explain before anyone got the wrong idea "Merlin didn't know they were kidnapping people while he was with them… It's why he saved me and the others"

"What!? He was working with them" Natsu shouted as he charged forwards with a flaming fist, Merlin pulling Lucy towards his side as he threw his free hand forwards to summon a large white magic circle to defend himself as Natsu slammed into it, unaware that Lucy was blushing slightly against his side as Merlin spoke

"Truthfully I didn't know they were going to kidnap magicians till I heard about what happened from some loud grunts…If I knew that was what the intentions of the group I joined I never would have"

"I believe you child… Natsu stop trying to hurt the boy" The old voice of Makarov called out, Natsu frowning as he looked at the undamaged magic circle he'd been trying to break before slumping off. The short wizard looked intrigued at the magic circle before chuckling at Lucy's reaction as Merlin let go of her and dismissed his magic.

"So you're here to join Fairy Tail now?" Makarov asked, Merlin shaking his head much to Lucy's disappointment as he explained

"Lucy-san wanted to introduce me to her friends… It would be too dangerous for me to join, if you'll allow me to explain in private" Makarov nodded before leading Merlin into his office, where the younger Magician explained everything to the Guild Master.

**(Flashback End)**

**[Makarov was shocked to say the least, when we explained about what the Khaos Brigade was up to… Kidnapping and experimenting on Sacred Gear wielders and Magicians. Hell, they were even working with the Phantom Lord guild to build that robot base]** Tiamat spoke with a frown, Merlin smirking slightly as he tucked into the Chinese food he was eating while sparing a glance as he flickered through the pages of his spell book as he thought back

_'He was glad that I saved them and helped with the spirits Jose was using…even if I wasn't in view of anyone. He really does act like a grandfather to them all.'_

A soft chime of a bell drew Merlin's attention as he finished off his food and used some magic to clean up his mess as he went upstairs. The chime was linked to his magic circle to the Fairy Tail Guildhall along with a few other places and would alert him to someone coming through that was allowed.

_'I wonder whose calling at this time…?'_ Merlin thought as he finally reached the hallway to see a crimson haired young woman wearing silver knight armour, her brown eyes turning to him with a scowl as he smiled nervously and held his hands up as he spoke

"H-Hey Erza… What brought you here today, not needing one of your armours repaired right?"

**[She knows…]** Tiamat spoke amused as Erza cracked her knuckles as she started walking towards him as she spoke seriously

"Why…?" Merlin gulped as she gripped the front of his clothes as Erza shouted

"Why do you have to be a damn heroic idiot?!" Erza punched Merlin square on the face, knocking him back against the wall as he groaned as wiped blood from his mouth as Erza shouted

"Why didn't you call for help!? DO you know what would happen to Lucy, Lisanna, me, Wendy and everyone if you actually died then?!"

"It… It wasn't your fight, Erza… nor the guild's. If I had called for help, they would've known you had helped me hide and would have targeted the guild next to flush me out. The guy I was fighting could've just shrugged off Natsu or Gray's magic due to his high level of magic resistance…" Merlin replied, his eyes hidden under his hair as Erza shook with rage as she glared at him even as tears welled up in her eyes, pulling her fist back to punch Merlin again as he continued

"Do you think I wanted to put any of you into danger…? Just to save me, who would have been still part of that group if I hadn't heard about Lucy and other mages being kidnapped by some grunts? I-I don't deserve being accepted by your fam… guild" Merlin lifted his head enough so his teary eyes could focus on Erza's, large cracks running along the lenses of his glasses.

"You idiot… Merlin…" Erza spoke as she tightly hugged him, a loud crack heard as he groaned in pain as his ribs cracked as she found herself staring at Merlin's eyes. Neither noticed as their faces drew closer to one another until a loud blaring alarm broke them from their trance, Erza's hands covering her ears as she shouted

"What's that for?"

"Someone must have tried to teleport in without clearance…" Merlin mused, giving a quick flick of his fingers to stop it as he walked towards the front door and added

"It's set up to drop whoever it is at the front door… you might want to lose the armour, this place doesn't see wearing that sort of thing normal unless you're on a battlefield"

"Fine" Erza grumbled, Ex-quipping her armour as Merlin quickly repaired his glasses as he opened the door to see Aya and Tsubasa laying atop of each other with their suitcases either side of them. A look of annoyance formed on Erza's face at seeing the two young women as Merlin asked

"Aya-san, Tsubasa-san what are you doing here? Never mind that now, come on inside"

Aya and Tsubasa looked slightly annoyed and confused over what had happened to them as they stepped inside, growing more confused at seeing Erza before Merlin closed the door as he muttered to himself "I knew I had forgot something…"

Placing his hand against the closed front door, a gold magic circle formed before a rectangular magic display and keyboard appeared as Erza muttered "[Archive Magic]…? You put [Archive Magic] into your defences"

"Well it lets me control the magical wards and barriers created to protect the house… I just need to add in the Sitri and Phenex magic circles and that should allow free access to them." Merlin replied as he tapped away at the keyboard and making images of the two Clan circles appear while Merlin asked back to Aya and Tsubasa

"What brought you two here then?"

"Kaichou/ Reina-sama wanted me to make sure no one would attack you again" Tsubasa and Aya replied together looking annoyed at each other.

"Both of you? Isn't that a bit much" Erza asked, glancing to see Merlin finish up as he shrugged as he replied

"If you'd see the crater that was left over from the fight you'd have though me and Natsu had just started to spar"

"That bad huh?" Erza replied surprised, drawing the two she-devils' attention as Merlin realised he hadn't introduced them to each other as he spoke

"Aya Natsumi, Tsubasa Yura meet Erza Scarlett, she's a friend from when I was travelling around before"

"Nice to meet you both" Erza spoke with a nod, Merlin noticing Aya and Tsubasa sizing her up as he asked

"So you two are going to move in with me because Kaichou and Phenex-sama want to watch out for me?"

"Well you are the new devil, Merlin-kun" Tsubasa spoke seriously, Merlin rolling his eyes as he sighed

"Alright, I best show you to the spare rooms then…Unless you were both expecting to share my bed seeing as it looks like a bungalow from outside" Aya and Tsubasa blushed at hearing that, Merlin noticed Erza frowning as the pair headed down the stairway to the first underground floor as she spoke quietly

"You better not try anything with them otherwise you'll hurt Lucy and Lisanna…"

"I know but I'm not in a relationship with anyone… I can't anyway…" Merlin replied, mumbling the latter part as an afterthought Erza sighing as she knew he was right.

**{I know she left a big mark on your heart but you need to get past that}** Tiamat spoke in a caring tone, Merlin mentally shaking his head as he thought back

_'It's not just her though, Tiamat… The Khaos Brigade tried to use my research and skills to their advantage without even me knowing as well… I trust Fairy Tail and its members but I can't let anyone get that close yet'_

"Amazing" Aya and Tsubasa spoke shocked, looking around the corridor and the numerous balls of light lit the place as Merlin turned to face them and pointed at the two doors at the end of the corridor as he spoke

"Those two rooms at the back are free, the others have… let's say on-off residents, one of them being Erza. If you respect your privacy then don't enter the other rooms. There are two floors below this and each has its own basic bathroom including the ground floor and this one… the floor below has my study room/ library/ laboratory area, don't enter there unless I'm with you so you don't touch anything you shouldn't. Also there's a large empty room for training and a third room which is a cinema and games room."

Aya and Tsubasa could only gape as he paused, Erza smirking as she remembered when Lucy and Lisanna had come over and managed to talk him into adding the cinema/ gaming room as well as the large pool, sauna and bathing area on the third floor.

"Floor below that has a large swimming pool, sauna and bathing area… feel free to use that when you want just don't screw anything up it took a while for me to actually set it all up by magic alone." Merlin added

"A swimming pool down here!?" Tsubasa and Aya shouted shocked, Erza chuckling at their reactions as Merlin smirked and nodded, waving them off as he smirked

"Go on… enjoy yourselves" With that the two girls rushed off towards the empty rooms, Merlin sighing to himself as he ran a hand through his hair and grumbled

"I'm going to have to expand again… especially when the others find out about this"

"You know Lucy and Lisanna will be jealous when they find out about your new houseguests" Erza spoke with a smirk, Merlin nodding as he replied

"Well it was there idea to put in the stuff on the third floor and even making the cinema room and you know I can't win an argument with them" Erza smiled at hearing that, Merlin cleaning his glasses with his top before adding

"I best explain about the two groups I'm a part of…"

…

Merlin yawned the next morning as he stumbled out of his bed, his body still not use to its new weakness to the sun, having weakened the barrier he had been using the previous day, and having spent till late last night working on his spell book in between having to answer questions from Aya and Tsubasa about his home after they had enjoyed the swimming pool. Erza had listened intently as he explained about the two groups and what he knew about them both.

"Maybe I should try and find out how good the rest of Kaichou and Phenex's peerage are at magic? Could definitely teach them some [Re-Quip Magic] at least" He mumbled to himself, thinking that the amount of spell books he had within his library that would help him teach his fellow devils as he grabbed a towel and headed towards the bathroom.

Opening the door, Merlin didn't notice the shower running until his eyes settled onto the brown eyes of one nude Aya who looked at him in shock from under the spray of water, behind the frosted glass. Merlin's senses jumped to full alert at that moment as he looked over her figure for a second time before realising what was going on, turning red and bolting out of the bathroom and leaning against the closed door as he shouted

"Why the hell did you not lock the door, Aya-san?" Merlin put his hand over his pounding heart, finding his eyes replaying the incident before his eyes as he mentally cursed the she-devil forgetting to lock the door as he mentally shouted

_'Tiamat, why didn't you warn me!?'_

**[Hmm... Oh, I didn't notice]** Tiamat answered with an innocent smile, Merlin frowning in response, well aware that Tiamat enjoyed keeping him on his toes at the oddest of times as he mentally retort

_'Seriously? Last time you let that happened I nearly got kicked in the face by Lucy if I hadn't sensed for magic before I even touched the door'_

**[She wouldn't have minded that much especially since she was showering here after crashing the night cause of Natsu and the others crashing at her place]** Tiamat replied with a shrug, Merlin sighing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose under his glasses and spread his senses before teleporting himself into the spare bathroom on the third floor which was empty.

…

Merlin couldn't help but feel something was off as Aya smiled and hugged his arm while they walked to school, Tsubasa looking slightly jealous of first year as she walked on his other side as Merlin asked "What's the reason for this sudden affection, Aya-san?"

Aya blushed as she realised she would have to explain about her family tradition to Merlin as she started speaking "In my family there's a tradition that the first man to see a female member naked is to become there future husband"

"Future Husband!?" Tsubasa shouted shocked, drawing the looks of several other students as Merlin replied, hopeful of getting out of the situation

"That was just an accident, Aya-san… so I don't think it counts. Plus there was frosted glass so it's not like I saw you completely"

"It was fate then, even with the frosted glass" Aya replied resolutely, Merlin sighing as he mentally shouted

_'Damn it Tiamat! If you had warned me I wouldn't have to deal with this weird tradition now!' _Tiamat for her part had started laughing the moment Aya had finished explaining, not helping Merlin's annoyance as he put a hand over his face as he grumbled to himself

"I don't believe in fate…" Aya didn't hear as she tightened her hold on his arm as they continued to walk to school.

…

The day had been rather odd for Merlin as he sat in the Student Council room with Aya firmly latched onto his right arm, Sona and Reina was looking slightly annoyed at the [Rook] intentions while Yukari shared jealous look and Kanu was looking on slightly amused.

"Why didn't you tell me about Aya-san and Tsubasa-san moving in?" Merlin asked with a frown, Reina first to explain the reason behind it

"We just don't know if the one who killed you will come back after you to make sure… Aya and Tsubasa are only there to make sure you don't get yourself in more trouble."

"Alright… I guess that makes sense… could have warned me about it but luckily I had spare rooms" Merlin replied with an annoyed tone as he added to himself

"I'll probably have to expand in case of other guests"

"Yes, Tsubasa told me about the underground floors at your home" Sona spoke curiously, part of her wondering how the Magician would go about expanding his home as Merlin asked curiously

"What am I doing today then, Kaichou, Phenex-sama?"

"You'll be delivering leaflets… normally this is the job of the familiar but seeing as you haven't got one yet" Sona started, pausing in case Merlin would surprise her before continuing

"Well, you will be doing that duty till we can travel to the familiar forest and hopefully find you something"

"Aya, you've got a contract coming in now so you should let go of Merlin" Reina added, having spared a look at a piece of paper that had appeared before her. Aya sighed annoyed before getting up as she spoke

"Yes Reina-sama" With that she disappeared into an orange magic circle, Merlin mentally sighing in relief as he stood up and looked around

"Alright then… Where's these leaflets I have to deliver?"

…

Merlin stretched his arms over his head as he walked, glancing to Kanu next to him before towards the half full bag of leaflets hanging off his right shoulder as he asked "So how long have you been part of Phenex-sama's peerage?"

"A couple of years… She's a good person but a bit too arrogant of her abilities" Kanu replied with a smile, Merlin looking at her curious as he asked

"Really…?"

"Well at least she's somewhat better than her brother." Kanu replied with a frown as she explained

"He's a pervert who enjoys feeling up his peerage of girls… even tried to make a move of Kazehana and myself once only for Reina-sama to punch him in the face, though it didn't do much more then annoy him"

"I hate people like that... even the perverted trio riles me up with how they act" Merlin replied with a scowl as he scrunched his hands up, Kanu smiling as she regarded her fellow servant, knowing she would like her new ally as she spoke

"Kira and Madoka seem to enjoy beating them up…" Merlin chuckled at hearing that, remembering having seen the Kendo club beating up the trio as Tiamat spoke up

**[You have noticed that she has a Sacred Gear, right?]**

_'Of course, Tiamat…I've been around enough Sacred Gear users to pick one up by aura by now'_ Merlin mentally replied, noticing Kanu looking him over from out of the corner of his eyes as he asked

"Kanu-sempai… Can I ask what you're Sacred Gear is?"

Kanu arched an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting that sort of question from him as she glanced around to ensure no one was about before holding out a hand and creating a simpler spear as she answered "My Sacred Gear is called [Spear Smith]. It allows me to make spears with various abilities…"

"So like [Sword Birth] and [Blade Blacksmith] but for spears" Merlin spoke to himself, Kanu nodding as she dismissed the weapon and replied

"Yeah… You've got a lot of experience with Sacred Gears then aside from your own?"

"Yeah… I ended up running into a lot during my travels" Merlin answered, frowning as he found himself thinking back to his time with the Hero Faction as they continued with delivering leaflets.

…

Once the pair got back to the clubroom after delivering the leaflets, they had found out that Reina had gotten orders to take out a Stray Devil that were hiding on the outskirts of town.

Currently Reina was leading her peerage towards an abandoned amusement park which was supposed to be the Stray Devils' base. Kanu was already holding a spear she had created while Aya had martial artist gloves on her hands, Kira and Madoka had a katana sheathed on their hips and Yukari was holding a bow with a quiver of arrows on her back.

"Alright Merlin, this will be your first time fighting with us… I'd like for you to mostly pay attention to how we fight." Reina spoke seriously, Merlin nodding in agreement as she then turned to the rest of her peerage as she spoke

"Alright then, let's find this Stray Devils, Alun, Barth and Chris, I believe their names are. Madoka, Kira you've both got permission to [Promote] if you need to. Now spread out in pairs, first person to find one of them draw them back to the open ground"

"Right!" The rest of the group spoke with a serious nod, Aya and Madoka heading towards a circus tent while Kanu and Kazehana headed towards an abandoned rollercoaster. Kira and Yukari headed towards a series of small prize stalls.

Looking around, Merlin frowned as he spread his senses while looking around noticing that Reina was moving towards some abandoned caravans on her own before he hurried after her as he asked "Should you really be going off on your own?"

"I am a Phenex, Merlin. I can regenerate from any wound…" Reina replied slightly arrogant, Merlin frowning as he thought

_'A bit too sure in her abilities like Kanu-sempai said.'_

"…Plus with your magic skill, we should be fine if we run into this any of these three Strays" Reina added, Merlin shaking his head as Tiamat retort amused

**[So from observer to body guard within minutes]**

…

Aya lead the way as she and Madoka walked towards the circus tent, the former's [Rook] defence making her more protected then the [Pawn] who drew her sword to be ready.

"What do you think of Merlin-sempai?" Aya asked with a light blush, Madoka blinking in surprise as she glanced to her fellow Devil and asked

"What brought this on, Aya-chan?"

"W-Well…" Aya stammered, her blush darkening as Madoka continued wistfully

"Merlin-kun is a good guy. He's helpful, handsome and really smart…"

Entering the building the pair were brought back to the mission by a clatter of something hitting the ground, looking around to see a hula hoop coming to a stop on the ground.

"[Water Mark!]" Madoka called, activating her own Sacred Gear as a blue magic tattoo flared to life on the back of her left hand, the kanji for water sitting in the centre of it. Soon water enveloped her katana blade as she took a ready stance while looking around. [Water Mark] allowed Madoka to create and manipulate water magic and allowed her to boost her already high affinity with the element even if it was a common level Sacred Gear.

"Well look what the cat dragged in… A couple of Devils have entered my territory" A deep male voice spoke up, Aya and Madoka looking around before hearing heavy padding of feet as a six foot tall pale lion padded out with blood soaked fangs.

"[Promotion: Knight]" Madoka called, feeling her [Pawn] changing within her as she got ready to fight.

…

Kanu and Kazehana walked towards the abandoned rollercoaster at a relaxed pace, the latter pouting as she spoke "Shame I couldn't go with Merlin-kun but at least it's nice to have a guy finally on the peerage"

"Yeah, at least he's not a pervert either" Kanu spoke with a smirk, absentmindedly tightening her hold on her spear as Kazehana added with an oddly serious tone

"Way better than Riser… He's got a cute butt as well" The latter comment broke the tension between them, Kanu chuckling as she shook her head as she retort

"I didn't think you would focus on that part-"

The both froze as they felt killing intent directed at them, looking up at the looming structure of the rollercoaster and noticing a pair of blood red eyes focus on them as a high pitched voice spoke "Well, Well, Well… What do we have here? A pair of Devils coming to hunt me?"

A break in the clouds allowed the pair to see the giant humanoid bat shaped Devil that was clinging to steel structure, looking down on them hungrily.

…

Kira and Yukari walked between two rows of empty stalls, the pink haired sword user leading while Yukari notched an arrow into her bow in preparation as they looked for any sign of the Stray they were trying to find.

"Yukari-sempai…" Kira started, drawing the brunette's attention as she continued

"…Do you think Merlin-kun is going to be alright juggling Kaichou's work and Reina-sama's?"

Yukari paused at that, it was true that Merlin was going to have to do double duties between both peerages and the Sona's peerage and Reina's would have to be in constant contact so they could work out which peerage Merlin would be seen with at times. Luckily his foreknowledge of the supernatural saved them from having to overwhelm him with information and explanations about the relationships amongst factions.

"I'm not sure… I'll ask Reina-sama about slowing things down for him but I think it'll only last a short while till he's got a familiar to help with the leaflets and only has to work with contracts" Yukari spoke concerned, Kira nodding in understanding as the pair turned to continue down between the stalls.

The sound of something shattering behind them forced the pair to turn and frown at seeing nothing before Kira spoke "[Static Stamp]"

A yellow magic circle formed on the back of Kira's right hand, the kanji for 'Thunder' set in the centre of it before she willed yellow lightning to cover her katana. [Static Stamp] was identical to [Water Mark] except it worked with Thunder magic then Water magic.

Yukari raised her bow to eye level as she took slow sweeping glances over the area, an icy blue magic circle coming to life around the tip of her arrow before the arrowhead was turned an icy blue colour, the projectile infused with Ice magic.

"Come out Stray!" Yukari called out seriously as she heard another crash from a stall a few metres away before an explosion of wood that consisted of the roof flew away as a scorpion's tail burst out.

"You think you two mere girls can handle me!" A raspy voice spoke, two large pincers bursting out before the rest of the stall exploded to reveal the rest of the bright red giant scorpion that started to scuttle towards them.

…

"Looks like the others found them" Reina spoke as she listened to the orange magic circle that was by her ear, Merlin looking around to her as he spoke

"We best head back to help them then…"

"Not so fast" A voice growled, the pair turning back to see a two metre tall black bear with clawed gauntlets on its hands. Reina rolled her eyes at the Stray Devil before shooting back as she walked forwards

"You Strays are all the same…Thinking you're the strongest just cause you managed to kill your allies and master"

"[Chaos Cannon]" Merlin spoke, summoning his Sacred Gear and pointing it at the Bear Stray as Reina continued

"I bet you can't even put a scratch on me"

"You bitch!" The Bear roared, bringing one of his claws through Reina's chest before cackling until Merlin sighed as he spoke

"You really need to pay attention… Phenex-sama why are you wasting time with this one when the others have found the three Strays we were after."

The Bear Stray's eyes widened as Reina lifted her head up from where the claw was lodged in her body, flames bursting from her wound and melting the weapon in moments as her injuries healed up as she spoke

"I suppose you are right, Merlin…"

"A Phenex?!" The Stray shouted in shock and fear, fire dancing along Reina's right hand as she pointed it at the Stray devil and incinerated it within moment before blowing the flames on her hand out.

"Shame… that was rather easy" Reina spoke to herself as she and Merlin started to walk back to where the others were supposed to lead the Strays to. Reina's eyes widening as she listened to the communication Magic circle that had appeared by her ear before she spoke aloud

"The three combined into a chimera?"

Merlin arched an eyebrow in surprise at hearing that, hoping that the girls would be able to handle it until he could help out.

When the pair got back to the clearing they saw the other girls moving around to dodge the combined Stray Devil. Its body was that of a giant lion with large bat wings on its back, which had large cuts running through them, and a red scorpion tail replacing its normal tail, large red scorpion claws came from out of its shoulders.

Aya was holding one of the large claws while Kanu was diving with her Devil wings spread and a large menacing looking lance in her hands to cut through the tough armour, the other claw being kept glued to the ground by thick ice which also was covering its four legs, Yukari was growing them by firing her arrows at the limb. Madoka and Kira was combining their elements so they could take off one of the trapped claw while Kazehana was deflecting acid being fired from the scorpion tail.

"Girls do it!" Yukari called, Madoka and Kira sharing a nod before swinging there katanas at the large claw as they shouted

"Hydro Cut!"

"Electro Cut!" The two slashes cut into the shoulder joint of the claw arm, the Chimera roaring in pain before Kazehana added her own attack to the injured arm

"Wind Slicer!" The Scorpion arm dropped down to the side, blood spurting from the wound as Reina spoke up

"Good job girls… Madoka, Kira, help Kanu with cutting off the other arm. Yukari keep its legs frozen to the ground and Kazehana try and cut that tail off."

"Hai"

"I'll help Kazehana-sempai with the tail" Merlin spoke as he stepped forwards, pointing the [Chaos Cannon] at it as he declared

"[Stun Shot!]" The pale yellow magic bullet hit its mark, the whole tail getting covered in pale yellow magic circles that stopped its movement instantly as Kazehana gave him a thankful nod before unleashing a barrage of wind slicers to cut the tail into shreds.

"GAAHH! Damn you!" The Chimera roared as Kanu, Madoka and Kira got the other Scorpion arm cut off, Aya using the limb like a giant club and bringing it down on the head as she spoke "Down boy!"

Bringing the makeshift club down on the Chimera's head a few more times, Aya continued to hit it until the Chimera was dazed and laying on the ground before discarding the giant limb.

"Do you have any last words?" Reina spoke as she approached the Stray Devil, Yukari and Merlin both aiming with their weapons in case the Stray tried to attack while Kanu, Madoka, Kira, Aya and Kazehana moved to be standing behind their [King].

"Urk… Just kill me" The Stray grumbled out, Reina igniting her hand with flames as she spoke

"Very well" With that Reina incinerated the Stray devil Chimera within moments till there was nothing but ash left over, everyone relaxing when Reina extinguished her flames and turned to them all with a smile as she spoke

"Mission Accomplished. Good job everyone. Let's head home"

…

Author's Note

Sorry for the long delay before updating this but here's the next chapter. I do intend to try and include more flashbacks or links to how Merlin got involved with Fairy Tail and what he did with the Hero Faction as and when I think I can fit things in. Also hope I have got the characters of Reina's peerage in character and that their fighting styles make sense, especially Katase and Murayama's Sacred Gears. The Chaos Cannon is based appearance wise on Cross Marian's Judgement Innocence from D Gray man.

As for the harem this is what I have settled on at the moment and I won't be taking any from Issei's group either.

Merlin's Harem: Sona, Reina, Tsubasa, Yukari Takeba [Persona], Kazehana [Sekirei], Aya Natsume [Tenjo Tenge], Kanu Unchou[Ikkitousen], Kira Katase, Madoka Murayama, Serafall, Erza Scarlett, Lucy Heartfilia, Lisanna Strauss

I haven't put in anyone I intend to have join Reina's peerage later on or characters who haven't been mentioned.

Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

"" - Speech

_'' - Thought_

[] - Sacred Gear

**[] - Dragons**

...

Merlin groaned as the beeping of his alarm clock woke him up, groggily groping out with his left arm so he could turn it off even as he Re-Quipped his glasses out of a bad habit as he turned it off before slumping back into his bed as he noticed a pair of arms tightly holding onto his waist as he muttered tiredly "I was sure I went to bed alone last night unless Cana had somehow managed to get Lucy drunk again… but I do still have my pyjamas on so can't be that"

**[No… The magic circle hasn't been in use since Erza left]** Tiamat answered amused, Merlin nodding sleepily before pulling back the sheets to see Aya sleeping with her head on his chest and wearing a tank top and panties.

"What the…!?" Merlin shouted surprised, finding himself fully awakening upon realising who had snuck into his room. Aya moaned, oddly sensually, as she rubbed her face against his t-shirt before opening her eyes to offer him a sleepy smile as she spoke

"Mornin' Husband"

"Aya-san, what are you doing here? And I'm not your husband" Merlin replied, trying and failing to wriggle out of the [Rook's] grasp as she frowned as she countered, pushing Merlin back onto the bed as she sighed

"But its tradition in my family. The first man to see me naked is to be my husband and that… was you"

**[Weird family tradition]** Tiamat mused, Merlin shooting a mental glare to the dragon as he tried to change the subject and avoid being pinned to his bed in case Tsubasa comes to investigate as he spoke

"Let's get ready for school and we'll talk about this later"

"Merlin-san! Breakfast is ready!" Tsubasa called, knocking on the bedroom door before looking into the room, her eyes narrowing in jealousy. She was already dressed in her school uniform with a white apron over the top.

"What are you doing Aya-chan!?" Tsubasa shouted jealously, pointing at the ginger haired girl who smiled innocently as she replied

"Just explaining things to my husband"

"Husband!? Merlin-san isn't your husband" Tsubasa shot back, stomping into the room and pointing at Aya who frowned and was about to speak before Merlin spoke up

"We'll sort this out later"

…

"That's what I had to deal with this morning and why we were nearly late" Merlin spoke with a sigh as he sat in the Student Council Room for lunch. Kira and Madoka were both blushing while shooting jealous looks to Aya and Tsubasa who seemed to be giving challenging glares to each other while Kazehana and Kanu chuckled amused and Yukari frowned at her fellow Devils. Sona sighed at this surprising development before Reina clicked her fingers in realisation as she spoke

"I forgot about that tradition…"

"You should have warned him about it, Phenex" Sona spoke with a hint of annoyance, Merlin catching the jealous look from Saji aimed at him as Reina shrugged

"Not much I can do now…Aya, I just hope that this doesn't interfere with Merlin's progress and try and at least try and make your relationship normal"

"What do I have to after school?" Merlin asked, between bites of his meal, hoping that Aya would at least listen to Reina as Sona answered him first

"You'll have to do your leaflet duty again and then we'll look to getting you started with contracts." Merlin nodded in understanding as the conversation went back to more normal topics.

…

A blue haired young woman watched the teen through the pool of water before her, the large pair of wings extended from her long backless white dress showing that she was a fairy as she looked sadly at Merlin. She mentally cursed her twin sister for what she did to him and all just for trying to obtain power and wealth.

'Legends repeat and yet while they don't follow the same pattern the results end up the same' She thought sadly as she pondered over what to do to make it up for the mage, turning as she heard one of the other Fairies speak

"Ojou-sama you continue to watch that boy even after what…"

"Do not mention her name here, Gator…" The blue haired fairy replied seriously as she glanced back to see the redhead fairy pout in annoyance before bowing as she reported

"His staff is nearly repaired, Ojou-sama… But it won't be as strong as it once was"

…

Merlin smirked to himself as he played soccer in the gym lesson with the other guys of his year, Issei on the opposing team with this two perverted friends as he dribbled the ball while waiting for Kiba to get ahead so he could pass it as he faked Issei out and got past him.

**[I guess all that training with Natsu and Gray helped your stamina]** Tiamat mused, knowing that Merlin had originally done it to help his own stamina given that he had to learn to fight better in Fiore, due to magic being used at close range unlike what he was use to, as well as helping him holding his Artificial Balance Breaker together for longer.

_'Yeah… but outwitting Hyodo is child play' _Merlin thought as he flicked the ball up onto his knee before knocking it over the bald pervert and kicking the ball to Kiba who started running with it as Merlin moved to catch him up.

"Merlin-san!" Kiba called, passing the ball through another player's legs which Merlin quickly caught with his foot as he took a quick moment of mental geometry before shooting the ball at Saji, who was in goal, who barely missed getting contact of the ball before it hit the back of the net.

"Good work" Kiba spoke with a smile as other guys on his team celebrated briefly as he replied

"Thanks"

From the third years' classrooms and the female half of the second year who had paused in their own gym lesson, numerous students were gossiping as they watched the football match.

"Looks like Merlin is already in good shape" Kanu spoke to a blushing Yukari, who nodded, while Reina was watching her new [Bishop] get back to playing soccer as she added

"Yes, looks like we don't really need to go easy with his training either"

…

After school that day, Merlin entered the Student Council room with Saji in tow as the fellow [Pawn] asked "Why didn't you show you were that good before?"

"Oh, I was hiding remember. If I had showed anything off Kaichou, Phenex-sama and Rias-sempai would have started to pay attention to me" Merlin replied, Saji realising what the Magician was saying as he spoke

"I guess that makes sense…"

"I was rather surprised how athletic you were, Merlin… I guess this will make training easier once we get into it" Reina spoke after noticing the pair enter, Merlin nodding in understanding as he spotted Sona giving him a small smile as she spoke

"It looks like you have your first contract today, Merlin…Saji can you go along with him just in case"

"Right Kaichou!" Saji spoke eagerly as the pair moved to where Tsubaki was preparing the transportation magic circle.

…

When the magic circle faded, the two boys found themselves inside the storage room of some café with a brown haired man who was dressed in a waiter's uniform which consisted of a white shirt, black slacks, a black bowtie and a black apron which was tied around his waist, while the top of it was probably hidden.

"What would you like us to do?" Saji asked respectfully before noticing who was before him as he blurted

"Shinji, you need help with the café again?"

"Yeah, Saji, who's your friend?"

"Oh this is Merlin, he's new to everything" Saji replied as Merlin gaze turned confused as Shinji pulled out two clothes hangers with waiter's uniforms on them

"That's great I need all the help we can get" The two devil accepted the uniforms as Shinji quickly left to prepare whatever he had to.

"I didn't think I'd have to work as a waiter on my first job" Merlin spoke as he magically changed into them, Saji looking at him impressed as he spoke

"You've got to teach me how to do that"

"I will do after this" Merlin replied as he moved to head into the café to find out what Shinji wanted them to do.

…

"May I take your order?" Merlin asked respectfully as he stood at the table, a small notepad and pencil ready in his hands as he took the table of blushing girls' order before heading over to the kitchen to hand it in, noticing Saji was having a less happy reaction from the mostly female customers he served.

"How can you be so popular, it's your first time working here as well" Saji spoke as he handed in his table's orders as Merlin shrugged as he replied

"No idea…I'm not even this popular at school so it's as confusing for you as it is for me"

"I suppose your right…it's probably just luck" Saji sighed as he turned to find Merlin was taking another table's order, the girls embarrassed as they gave him the order, Saji's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

…

It was evening when the pair returned to the council room by magic circle, both were still dressed in there waiter outfits as Sona and Tsubaki gave them a confused look, their cheeks pink as the former spoke

"What are you two doing dressed like that?"

"Shinji-san said we deserved to keep them after how well things went…and he would like us to help out next time he needs some" Saji spoke embarrassed, scratching the back of his head as Sona replied

"That's good…well why don't you go home"

"I'll teach you as we go, Saji" Merlin added as they started out of the room, closing the door behind him as both third years tried to focus back on their paperwork and failing

"Merlin-kun looked… good" Tsubaki spoke slightly embarrassed, Sona blush deepening as she spoke

"Yes…he did, didn't he?"

…

"It's mostly to do with imagination you know like what you use… just imagine the clothes on you and have some sort of trigger" Merlin spoke as he clicked his fingers his clothes swapping back to his school uniform as Saji nodded in understanding as he closed his eyes to concentrate before clicking his own fingers with nothing happening.

He sighed disheartened as Merlin added "I was taught by moving swords first from a few feet away to my hand. Clothes are even harder because it involves remembering what you have stored in your Re-quip dimension already. My teacher was rather tough about it as well, considering it was her style of fighting… anyway practice makes perfect"

"Guess I've got something to work on" Saji spoke with a sigh as they headed off the school grounds.

…

Merlin sighed as he attempted to enjoy the sun after school as he sat on a bench in a secluded park. He'd sent a few [Thought Projections] out to deliver leaflets in his stead, more as a training exercise for his demonically enhanced magic reserves than anything else.

_'I can't believe I can hold five together at one time now… I could just about hold two barely together before but then I never trained this particular magic spell very much before'_ Merlin thought to himself, frowning as he picked up a familiar holy aura approaching him before a male voice spoke up

"Looks like Le Fay was crying over nothing…"

"Hello Arthur" Merlin replied, opening his eyes to regard the blonde English young man who nodded in response

"Hello Merlin… Looks like Heracles' boasting about killing you was a lie"

"No… He did kill me, I just got pulled back as a Devil but in my defence the muscle head had an anti-teleport spell by Georg to stop me from escaping" Merlin replied, sitting up on the bench as Arthur nodded in understanding

"Well they really wanted you out of the way then"

"How is my first student then?" Merlin asked, Arthur taking a seat next to him as he explained

"Le Fay is getting better with her magic through those books you gave her, but she misses you a lot and she cried a lot when she heard you died so she'll be happy to hear you survive."

Merlin offered Arthur a smile, moving a hand to dig out a piece of paper from his pocket before using a small amount of magic to create a magic circle on it as he spoke as he offered it to Arthur "This will let her get in touch with me… Just be careful it doesn't get into the wrong hands, last think I need is Georg able to break through my defences and those idiot heroes coming after me again"

"Alright…" Arthur said as he accepted it, folding it before putting it into his pocket as he glanced around

"Looks like we have some company…"

"Stray exorcists, great. I was hoping for a quiet evening" Merlin replied as the pair stood up, Merlin activating his [Chaos Cannon] while Arthur summoned [Excalibur Ruler] from his pocket dimension as he smirked and added

"I didn't think you had quiet evening with all those girls around you"

"Oi! I am not a pervert like the Sekiryuutei…" Merlin shot back, Arthur unsheathing his sword as he took in the group of Exorcists before them as Merlin took aim as the blond added

"Not from what Jeanne told Le Fay… and she was rather imaginative, especially when she talked about your apparent size and skill"

"I've never touched that girl and she's spouting that off as if we are lovers…" Merlin grumbled with a blush, even as the fight started up and he was shooting exorcists with magic bullets while Arthur chuckled as he cut down another Exorcist with his holy sword.

The pair easily dispatched of their opponents, Merlin twirling his Sacred Gear before dismissing it while Arthur dismissed his sword after flicking off the blood as he spoke "Le Fay will be happy that nothing went on between you and Jeanne back then…"

"Yeah you tell her that and if you see Jeanne tell her to stop lying about my relationship with her… I better get back to my devil duties" Merlin spoke, glancing around and making dozens of small magic circles appear over the exorcist guns and swords before storing them into his Re-quip dimension as Arthur replied

"Nice to see that you're alright anyway… See you Merlin" Merlin gave him a nod and wave before Arthur left the area, Merlin going about clearing up the area of bodies.

…

"Sorry I'm late… I had a run in with a dozen exorcists" Merlin spoke with a sigh once he'd entered the SC (Student Council) room, Sona, Reina, Tsubaki and Yukari looking surprised as he took a seat on one of the sofas as Yukari asked concerned

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine" Merlin replied, waving off the concerned looks the third years gave him as he added

"I managed to get some exorcist weapons as well so hopefully I can start working on a means to negate the backlash I get from light magic and even incorporate it into my Sacred Gear. Maybe create some anti-holy spells or shields"

"You can do that?" Reina asked surprised, Merlin nodding as he thought aloud

"Probably…It just a matter of working out how to alter the poisonous effect light has on a Devil, maybe even completely convert it into demonic energy instead to stop it completely" Sona and Reina stared impressed at Merlin as he started to scribble down notes onto a piece of paper before hiding them both.

"Would you like to play chess, Merlin-san?"

"Yeah go on then… I use to play it when I was younger" Merlin replied, missing Tsubaki's surprised look to Sona as she went about setting up the chess board.

As the pair played, the other Devils of both peerages returned and became engrossed in the game, both Merlin and Sona keeping up with the other's moves. Reina couldn't help to but be impressed at Merlin was able to keep up with Sona and even appeared to be winning in the latter half of the game.

"Amazing…" Sona spoke shocked, looking at the chess board and seeing she had lost to Merlin who was rubbing his temple as he spoke

"Darn… Never been pushed that hard before. That was a great game, Kaichou"

The other members of Sona's peerage whispered between them at the fact Sona had lost, Sona blushing at the compliment as she spoke "Thank you, you were an excellent opponent as well"

Reina looked impressed at the young man who stretched his arms above his head as he asked "So… Am I going to make a start with contracts or can I head home tonight?"

Sona shook her head, doing her best to clear her shock at the situation as she spoke "You can head home for now, Merlin… Something has come up"

"Alright…" Merlin spoke, curious as to what had happened as he made to leave for the day.

…

Merlin couldn't help but smile as he sat in his kitchen, looking at the purple coloured communication circle that was floating before him had a teenage girl with long blonde hair under a witch's hat looking at him shocked as he spoke "Le Fay… I thought you had an important question to ask?"

{S-Sorry Merlin-sensei! I-I just didn't believe Onii-sama when he told me you were alive} Le Fay replied embarrassed, Merlin smiling softly as he sat back and replied

"It's alright…Kinda would expect it being hard with the muscle idiot spouting it off proudly"

{…And Jeanne-san?} Le Fay asked nervously, Merlin blinking surprised as he replied

"Nothing happened, Le Fay… You remember how busy I was working with my magic back when I was around her… plus she always stared at me weirdly and wrote in that notebook of hers"

**[You know… I think she had a thing for you…]** Tiamat mused, Merlin sensing the shift in magic energy in his own home which he sensed a familiar magical aura as he spoke

"I've gotta go now, Le Fay… I'll speak to you soon"

{Goodbye Merlin-sensei!} Le Fay spoke cheerfully before the magic circle disappeared as Merlin leant back in his seat as he turned around as Tsubasa stepped into the room as she asked curiously

"Who was that?"

"Oh, just a student of mine" Merlin replied, much to her surprise as Aya stepped into the kitchen as well as she asked surprised

"You have a student already?"

"Yeah, of course… Let's just say there was a lot of pressure put on me to be the best so I ended up being sought after as the best tutor for magic at times despite the fact I was still learning stuff at the same time" Merlin replied, Tsubasa and Aya sharing surprised looks as they sat down at the table as the former asked

"So you can teach Magician's Magic to others…?"

"Yeah… Plus with some of the special styles with my friends, like Erza, I can teach portions of their magic as well" Merlin answered with a nod, Aya looking curious as she asked

"What magic does Erza-san use?"

"It's called [Re-Quip Magic] and allows someone to call weapons to them from a special [Re-Quip] space that's like a dimensional pocket. Erza can use an advanced form that allows her to change armour as well" Merlin explained, his tone fitting a teacher as he continued

"It tends to be good for weapon users as broken weapons stored there will be repaired in time depending on how much damage they have taken and also applies to clothes and armour stored in there. Also [Re-Quip] can be used to change the user's clothes so they can avoid embarrassment and keep fighting"

"Maybe we should talk to Kaichou about you teaching the rest of us?" Tsubasa asked thoughtfully, Merlin nodding in agreement before he spoke

"Let's go grab some food then" Merlin moved to stand up, only for both girls to push him back into the chair as Aya spoke sternly

"Oh no you don't. You are going to start eating better than just take out stuff"

"Yes. We both know how to cook so now we'll get some proper shopping in" Tsubasa added, Merlin being easily lifted out of his chair by the two [Rooks] and being pulled towards the front door as he tried to protest

"I can't go out to do shopping now… I was going to try and finishing working on my latest project. Plus it's not like I have time to learn to cook with the schedule I have at the moment between training, school and devil work I barely have time for my own stuff as it is"

"Don't argue back, husband!" Aya shot back, Merlin frowning as he was finally pulled out of the front door as Tiamat laughed loudly in his mind.

…

"Tomorrow Onii-san is coming" Reina started with a slight frown, Merlin blinking at the groans that came from Reina's peerage. They were sitting in an empty classroom to make the meeting more private before they would go to the Student Council room to go about their devil duties.

"So they are moving that forwards then?" Kanu spoke with a frown, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Moving what?" Merlin asked curiously, the girls looking at him as Yukari answered

"Rias Gremory's engagement with Riser-san"

"Wait… Rias-sempai is engaged to that ponce?" Merlin asked shocked, drawing smiles from the others even as Reina tried to keep it from her own face as she answered

"Yes. My parents made an engagement with the Gremory Clan between Riser and Rias. She's never been happy about it and I can understand given Onii-sama is a blatant pervert"

"He's even worse the Hyodo and that's saying something" Kazehana spoke in an oddly serious tone, drawing surprised looks from Merlin, Kira and Madoka.

"H-How so…?" Kira asked slightly nervously, Madoka looking askingly at the other young women in the room as Aya scowled and responded

"He assumed that because we're Reina-sama's servants that he has some right to try something with us but that soon stopped when Reina-sama incinerated his bits. Too bad that they grew back."

"Sounds like a douche and if he tries anything around me he'll have his ass kicked" Merlin spoke with a frown, the girls smiled brightly at hearing that before the blonde [King] spoke

"Well let's get going to the Council room to continue with normal Devil duties"

…

Merlin appeared out of the magic circle on his first contract for Reina, his eyes looking around as he realised he was in an empty dressing room with a middle aged man in a business suit standing before him.

"Hello. I'm Merlin, what is your wish?" Merlin asked formally, the man smiling as he nodded before speaking

"I need an assistant to help set up some of the props and lights for the concert today, Merlin-san"

"That should be fine" Merlin replied with a nod after checking the price of the wish, changing his clothes with his magic into a pair of jeans and a black hoodie so he wouldn't stand out in the school uniform he had appeared in as he asked

"Can you show me where I should get started?"

"Of course… There is something else that I want you to do if you can do it without anyone knowing about it…" The man spoke curiously, Merlin arching an eyebrow in curiosity as he asked

"I can see what I can do… What is it?"

"I want you to try and cheer up Rise Fujiwara, she is the person who the concert is for. She's been really down lately, I'll even cover for any escape you want to make to help her cheer up" The man explained, Merlin nodding as he tried to avoid blushing as he spoke

"Of course, sir… I'll see what I can do" With that the manager nodded with a small smile and lead Merlin to who he would be helping amongst the crew.

…

**[Looks like you're enjoying this contract…]** Tiamat spoke teasingly as Merlin finished with the last light that he needed to set up, wiping his brow with one of the sleeves before he made his way down the scaffolding as he mentally retort

_'Now is not the time for you to tease me…'_

**[Oh, but I thought you were a fan of Risette? And now you have the honour of saying you took her out on a date]** Tiamat countered, Merlin's face reddening as he shot back

_'I am… But I can't exactly tell anyone can I? This is a Devil's contract'_

Hopping down the last through rungs of the ladder, Merlin caught the eye of his summoner standing next to a depressed Rise Fujiwara and getting a nod as he moved away from her.

_'Guess that's the signal to start on the real part of the mission' _Merlin thought to himself, moving towards the copper haired young woman as he took a calming breathe as Tiamat teased

**[Nervous are we…?]** Merlin rolled his eyes mentally before he asked in concern

"Are you alright, Risette-san?"

Rise jumped where she sat, her eyes jerking up to meet his before averting out of nervousness as she replied "I'm fine…"

Merlin frowned at hearing that, taking a seat next to her as he replied "You don't sound like it… Sorry."

"It's alright…" Rise started, a slight smile forming on her face as she noticed Merlin looking around as he continued

"Why don't we make an escape from here for a while…? You deserve some time as a normal person. I think you have a few hours before you need to come back right?" Merlin gently took Rise's hand, making her blush as she nodded before her eyes widened as she asked

"H-How are we going to sneak out though without anyone noticing?" Merlin made a show of rummaging into the pockets of his hoodie before pulling out a dark colour flat cap which he'd made during his time in the Hero Faction. The cap would subtly alter someone's features from those around, making it a perfect disguise as it kept changing with each person that was viewing them, although he never shared the idea or showed the intricate enchanting in the cap to anyone so there was no chance of it being reproduced.

"This'll work…" Merlin spoke, holding out the flat cap to Rise who was looking over it warily as he added

"Just trust me this one time. If it doesn't work then…" Merlin shrugged as Rise pursed her lips before nodding as she took the cap as she spoke

"Alright…" Taking a moment to fit it on her head, tucking her copper hair into it as they headed over to the stage door, Merlin holding it open for her as Rise stepped out to see that it was devoid of the usual reporters and fans, her smile growing as she gripped Merlin's hand and started to pull him along.

…

"That was a great date!" Rise sighed happily as she walked next to Merlin, cuddling his arm, much the magician's embarrassment. The escape had turned into a date of sorts, having headed to the nearest family restaurant to enjoy a meal before they started to look around the shopping centre and around the town.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself…" Merlin replied with a smile, glad that Rise was out of her slump as they reached the stage door to the concert hall. Rise turning to face him as she took off the flat cap and shook her hair out as she spoke

"Thank you… I really needed a break with everything that was going on"

"It's alright, least I could do" Merlin countered, waving her off after she handed him back the flat cap, a quick kiss on his cheek drawing a darker blush from him before she headed inside.

**[Well, well, well… Aren't you lucky? Getting hugged and kissed by your idol after a romantic date. I guess even the straight faced and serious descendant of the First Magician can still act like a normal teenager]** Tiamat spoke amused, Merlin rolling his eyes which didn't detract from the blush on his face as he stored the flat cap into his pocket dimension as he thought back

_'Tiamat! Please don't tease me… I'm completely allowed to relax at times and it's nice not to be seen as anything other than just a normal guy.'_

**[You know the girls would be jealous when they find out… And I don't think they really care about what you are more than who considering things.]** Tiamat retort, Merlin sighing silently as he nodded and headed inside to find the manager as he mentally responded

_'I guess you're right…'_

"Ah Merlin-san!" Rise's manager called as he walked over, Merlin glancing around to see the man approaching him with a large smile.

"Thank you for helping Rise-san out."

"It is no problem sir… If she wants to see me again you should get her to summon me next time" Merlin replied, gaining a nod from the man as they moved inside.

…

Merlin slumped into a chair in the living room, his gaze focused on the novel he was holding as he took the time to relax. Aya and Yura was still on contracts meaning he was alone at the moment. Rise's manager had given him a few props which would be rare atop of the money for the contract, the former he had stored away so he wouldn't get any annoyed looks from the girls or Saji.

**[Sure that's why you hid away a cardboard stand of Risette…]** Tiamat replied amused, Merlin rolling his eyes as he continued reading, preferring to not give her a response before he felt his senses perk up in a familiar aura.

_'Oh no…'_ Merlin thought with a nervous gulp, putting his bookmark into the novel in his hands and setting it down as Tiamat chuckled

**[Too late to hide from them now]**

"Merlin!" The familiar call of Lucy made Merlin turn nervously to the doorway to see the busty blonde look in, her eyes widening at spotting him as he spoke

"H-Hey Lucy…" Lucy blinked for a moment as she looked at him, her smile growing as she barrelled towards him and hugged him tightly and started shouting at him

"Y-You idiot! How could you…" Merlin patted her on her back as she started a tirade of how stupid he was to not call for help when he was attacked or how he had been avoiding the whole guild due to his devil duties. Glancing at the doorway he saw Lisanna and Wendy smiling brightly at seeing him and rushing to hug him as well, pinning him to his seat before Lucy slapped him.

"That is for not letting us help you and worrying us" Lucy ended, Merlin moving to rub his cheek as he replied

"I didn't want you to get hurt… There has been too many close calls before for you and the others. Tower of Heaven, Oracion Seis, that weird woman Daphne, Edolas…"

"You were involved with those fights as well and you should know by now we can take care of ourselves." Lucy replied, Lisanna and Wendy nodding as the former added

"She's right Merlin-san… We protect and help each other"

"The guy I was fighting shrugged off most of my magic attacks and superhuman strength. I even used Dragon Force on him and didn't cause nothing more than a few bruises" Merlin replied, getting looks of surprise from the three girls as he dipped his head and added

"I'm sorry for worrying you but I couldn't see how Natsu, Erza or even Gajeel could handle him if I was already having trouble against him and I really didn't want to risk any of you getting hurt"

"We understand…" Lisanna spoke with a smile, Wendy nodding as she added

"We want to keep you save as well Merlin-san… Everyone was worried about you when you didn't show up that day"

"Wendy's right… We were worried that you weren't there to see us off onto our mission, Merlin" Lucy spoke with a concerned look, Merlin looked saddened at hearing that before Tiamat spoke up

**[You should get him to take you out to make up for it]**

"T-Tiamat!? You can't be serious" Merlin spoke surprised, noticing the weird glint in Lisanna and Lucy's eyes while Wendy giggled as Lisanna and Lucy spoke together

"That's a great idea…Dinner would be a start of an apology for making us worry"

Merlin sighed in defeat, knowing he wouldn't be able to win against one of the girls let alone the three of them as he nodded and replied "Alright… I know a good place in town"

…

Merlin smiled as he sat in the family restaurant that he was sitting in with Lucy, Lisanna and Wendy, who were having trouble with using the chopsticks, demonstrating how to hold them. Lisanna was next to him while Lucy was opposite and Wendy sat next to her.

"Here let me help" Merlin spoke, placing his own chopsticks down before reaching over to help Lucy fix her grip while not noticing the blush that spread over her cheeks.

"That's better right? Just remember to keep the right grip on it and you should do fine" Merlin spoke, looking over her hand before nodding as Wendy was easily using her own chopsticks before noticing Lisanna and Lucy were still having trouble with their chopsticks before he picked up some of the former's food, keeping his hand under it as he spoke

"Say 'Ahh'…" Lisanna blushed before complying, Merlin putting the food in her mouth before taking a bite of his own and making the three girls blush while Tiamat chuckled

**[Looks like Saji's angry at you…]**

_'Wait what?'_ Merlin thought turning to the window to see Saji glaring at him from the other side before Wendy asked

"Who's that?"

"He works on the Student Council with me, his name is Saji" Merlin replied, mentally glad that he had explained to the trio of young ladies about the front of Sona's peerage so they would understand. Merlin arching an eyebrow as Saji walked off without another word before he mumbled to himself

"Well… Looks like I'll have to deal with his jealousy next time I see him."

"Where do you want to go after this?" Merlin asked to the girls, Lucy, Lisanna and Wendy sharing looks before the older two spoke up in sync

"Shopping!"

…

Merlin slumped onto the sofa as he sighed in relief, Lucy, Lisanna and Wendy having headed back to the Fairy Tail guild hall with couple bags of shopping which he had to carry and pay for, ranging from clothes to cuddly toys.

_'Just glad that I have the money to spare for it thanks to my spell work'_ He thought to himself as Tiamat chuckled in his mind

**[Looks like you'll have to start make more enchanted items to sell. Maybe you could make a deal with the devils about making simple shielding accessories or something. Those magic rings you made were rather popular]**

Merlin nodded thoughtfully, the magic rings had been an augmented version of Fiore's [Ring Magic] but he made sure they weren't too powerful lest they be abused by Magicians and supernatural beings alike. Other items had included enchanting armour to reduce damage and even protect from weather and extreme temperatures.

_'I could probably see if Phenex and Kaichou want me to make some for them…'_ Merlin thought absently, hearing the door open as Aya and Tsubasa entered. Merlin's eyes moved to catch their exhausted forms in the doorway, his eyebrow rising in curiosity before moving to help them.

…

Merlin scratched his head as he headed to the Kendo club, deciding that he should pick up Kira and Madoka about the meeting with Riser today. School had been rather tense, Reina's peerage being on edge at what would happen and even Sona had commented about being there for Rias.

**[I can't believe Saji was angry at you just because he caught you feeding Lisanna]** Tiamat spoke up amused, Merlin trying to avoid blushing as he knocked on the doors of the Kendo hall so he wouldn't get in trouble with the girls inside before the doors slid open to see Captain of the Kendo club, Saeko Busujima, standing before him and couldn't help the blush forming at seeing her in the tradition uniform which showed off her figure

"I'm just here to see Katase-san and Murayama-san, if that's ok Busujima-sempai. They are needed for a meeting at the Student Council" Merlin spoke respectfully, Saeko smirking slightly at seeing his response before replying

"Alright… Try not to disturb the others, Tsunagi-kun" Merlin nodded in response, Saeko moving out of the way so he could enter as she spoke up to the room

"Kira, Madoka…Tsunagi-kun needs to speak with you" Most of the girls looked over to see Merlin standing a few steps behind Saeko and starting to gossip amongst themselves as Kira and Madoka suddenly gave him a look of realisation before hurrying over to him

"Sorry Merlin-san, forgot about the meeting today" Madoka spoke slightly embarrassed, Kira wringing her hands on the bokken in her hands in embarrassment as Merlin smiled as he replied

"Its fine girls, just hurry as the meeting will start soon"

"Right" Kira and Madoka spoke together before heading to the changing room adjoining the room, Merlin moving to lean against the wall as Saeko called out

"Back to practice girls" With a few grumbles and whispers the girls went back to their practicing, Merlin looking amused for a few moments before his eyes widened at feeling a familiar magical aura outside.

**[That aura…]** Tiamat spoke shocked, Merlin turning to head outside before quickly looking around to try and catch the owner of it as he thought with a frown

_'That can't be her… I mean she died'_

**[I don't know, Merlin…]** Tiamat replied warily, Merlin clenching his hands as he tried to expand his magic sense as far as it could go before scowling at not finding anything within range.

"Merlin-san is everything alright?" Madoka asked as she and Kira stepped out dressed back in their school uniform, Merlin offering a slight smile as he replied

"It's nothing… Just thought I sensed something"

"Let's get going then" Kira spoke, smiling to Merlin as he nodded and the trio started their way to the Old School Building.

…

Merlin entered the clubroom after knocking the door, his eyes flickering around the room, spotting Reina sitting next to a blond haired man with her peerage behind her while Sona and Rias sat on the opposite sofa with Rias' peerage behind her, before settling on Issei as he shouted "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here because Kaichou and Phenex-sama asked me to be here, Hyodo" Merlin replied, Issei's gaze shifting to Sona and then Reina and the blond man that Merlin assumed was Riser Phenex.

"Sorry we're late, Phenex-sama" Kira spoke calmly as she and Madoka walked over to the rest of Reina's peerage, Merlin glaring at the leering look Riser was giving the two girls before scowling as he focused on Merlin as he spoke

"So this is the brat that you have to share with Sona…"

"Onii-san! Don't talk about Merlin-san like that" Reina scolded, Sona frowning as she shot an annoyed look at Riser who scoffed

"Fine…"

"How can he be in two peerages?" Issei asked confused as those around him seemed to shrug before Merlin spoke as he moved over to stand next to Tsubaki, frowning slightly at finally noticing the silver haired maid, who he recognised as Grayfia Lucifuge, looking at him curiously as he spoke

"I've no clue myself…but I had Phenex-sama's [Bishop] in one of my pockets when Kaichou revived me"

With that everyone turned their attention back to the meeting as Grayfia spoke up "It was expected that it would become like this, if it can't be settled with talks then we have to take the last resort measures."

"Ojou-sama, if you're insistent in your wish, then how about settling it with a rating game" She continued, Merlin looked confused at his fellow servants as Tsubaki quietly explained it to him

"A [Rating Game] is a fight with your servants in a special arena…it's like chess as it involves strategy and is often used to solve family or house disputes" Merlin nodded in understanding as he turned back to the discussion

"As you know, Ojou-sama can't participate in official games, but if it's unofficial, then even non-adult devils can participate. For this event, it usually is…" Grayfia spoke as Rias added

"A meeting of relatives, or between households, to settle a quarrel. Meaning, father and the others have already considered the possibility of my refusal and made the preparations for the game…Just how much are they going to tamper with my life till they're satisfied….?"

"Then, Ojou-sama, do you refuse the game as well?" Grayfia asked as Rias turned to answer

"No way, this opportunity won't come again. All right, let's settle this with the game, Riser"

"Heh, you're accepting it, huh? I don't mind it, but I have already had experience with the official games many times, and have won plenty of times. Even then will you fight, Rias?" Riser asked not seeming too worried by the game.

"I'll do it! I'll make you disappear!"

"Fine with me. If you win, you can do as you like. If I win, you'll immediately marry me." Riser countered as Grayfia spoke up

"I, Grayfia, confirm your intentions. As the representative of both your houses is it alright for me to manage the game's details?" Both Riser and Rias nodded in agreement before the blonde devil asked

"Hey, Rias. It can't be that the ones gathered before Reina and Sona showed are all your servants?"

"If that's the case, what about it?" Rias asked as Riser burst out laughing before speaking

"Wouldn't this game be a joke? Except for your [Queen], the rest won't even be qualified opponents for my cute servants…" Clicking his fingers the flaming red circle of the Phenex clan appeared and fifteen shadows appeared from it before it became noticeable that they were girls. Merlin sighing annoyed, managing to conceal his own blush, upon noticing Issei's reaction, crying at the sight of Raiser's beautiful servants, before turning to see Saji's mouth open wide.

"He… Hey Rias…That servant-kun over there is crying a lot while looking at me" Raiser spoke as Rias sighed while looking at Issei as she spoke

"This boy's dream is to have a harem. I think he was moved after looking at your servants." Merlin facepalmed upon hearing that, it sounded just like Issei to him, removing his hand his eyes widened at seeing Riser kissing one of his servants.

_'Looks like the info was right about him then'_ He thought confused.

**[Humph… Devils really are perverted beings]** Tiamat spoke calmly in his head as Merlin felt his hand twitch in annoyance and embarrassment, currently trying to resist covering them in water.

"Damn…" Saji whispered next to him surprised, his cheeks red along with most of the others as he finished turning to look at Issei with a sneer

"You will never be able to do this."

"Don't say what I think you were saying! Damn it! [Boosted Gear!]" Issei replied as he activated his Sacred Gear, the red gauntlet appearing as he pointed at Riser and shouted

"A womanizer like you isn't good enough to be with Buchou!"

"Huh? Aren't you looking up to me, the so-called womanizer?" Riser asked curiously, Issei clenching his fists as Merlin rolled his eyes feeling that one of the phrases his mother used, something about a pot and a kettle seemed to fit the situation as Issei shouted back

"Sh...shut up! That's different with the thing about Buchou! At this rate, you will continue to flirt with other girls even after you marry Buchou!"

"Heroes love women. That's a saying in the human world, right? A good phrase indeed, but this is just a close relationship with my servants. Even you get adored by Rias, don't you?" Riser replied with a shrug as Issei shouted again

"Hero my ass! You are just a bird guy! Fire bird Pheonix? Hahaha! That's the same as Yakitori!" Reina seemed to clench her fists at hearing her brother being called a Yakitori while Riser made an outrageous face at Issei's provocation.

"Yakitori!? You low-class devil! Don't get ahead of yourself! That's not the way you talk to a high-class devil! Rias! You have to educate your servants!"

Rias just ignored his claim and said "Like I care".

"Hey fried-chicken guy! I will just beat the crap out of you with my [Boosted Gear!]" Issei challenged the Phenex Devil without any worries as Sona seemed to sigh at his antics as Issei continued

"We don't need to have a match! I will just take you all down, right here, right now!" Issei spoke confidently, Merlin deciding to prepare to stop them fighting before it could get out of hand as the [Boosted Gear] called out

[BOOST!] Riser just made a sigh where he stood before turning back to his servants

"Mira, do it." Riser ordered his servant the girl with the long pole stepping forward as she spoke

"Yes, Riser-sama" Merlin reacting quickly with a flick of his hand, Koneko and Saji turning to look at him before they saw Mira's weapon slam into an white coloured Magician's circle which appeared before Issei, the [Pawn] looking in surprise at the white magic circle before him which soon faded as Merlin stepped forwards as he spoke up calmly

"Please avoid fighting here…"

"Hey, Tsunagi, why'd you do that?" Issei asked annoyed as Merlin sighed before answering

"You would've had your ass kicked you idiot…if you saw how fast she moved she'd have got you in seconds, likely I'm a faster caster then that" Stuffing his hands into his pockets as he noticed Mira's surprised face at being stopped.

"Interesting" Riser spoke, looking over Merlin for a moment, Reina waiting for the verdict from her older brother about Merlin

"Such confidence from someone so lowly…fitting for my sister's servant" Raiser spoke as Merlin shrugged

"I've got a lot a practice under my belt…this idiot wouldn't even give you a challenge unless you gave him…" Merlin spoke calmly, turning to look over Issei who was looking annoyed back at him before continued "two weeks…I'd guess"

Turning so he could catch the sight of both Rias and Sona he gave them a wink as he shook his head as he continued "Actually make that about a month…if you're willing to give them a fighting chance"

"Really…" Riser spoke, taking a moment to look over Rias' servants as he decided on something himself before turning to Rias

"How about we have the match in two weeks, Rias?"

"Alright" Rias spoke feeling better for having the time to prepare as Riser turned to Issei as he spoke

"Hey you, don't put Rias to shame, Rias' [Pawn]…A blow to you is a blow to Rias"

Riser turned to his sister as he continued "Come on Reina…I want to see how strong your [Bishop] is"

Merlin turned to see Reina nod as she smirked as she replied "Alright…just don't feel bad when Merlin takes out your servants"

Riser scoffed at hearing that, his peerage looking confident while Reina's group shared knowing looks as they followed, Merlin turning to speak to Sona "I'll let you know how things go, Kaichou"

Before he followed the group onto the magic circle which flashed as it teleported them out of the room.

…

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I will admit that I had some trouble working out what to include here but hope you enjoy it. Reina is intended to look like older Ravel and has a mix of her and Riser's personalities except her arrogance is toned down. I will be trying to include more Fairy Tail elements into things as they go along and will also try and fit in some flashbacks to show how Merlin had an effect on Fairy Tail events.

Here's the list for Merlin's Harem, Issei will be saying much the same as in canon although I may put Ravel into Merlin's rather then Issei's.

**Merlin's harem:** Sona, Tsubasa, Reina, Yukari Takeba [Persona], Kazehana [Sekirei], Aya Natsume [Tenjho Tenge], Kanu Unchou [Ikki Tousen], (Kira) Katase, (Madoka) Murayama, Serafall Leviathan, Jeanne, Le Fay, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlett, Lisanna Strauss, Wendy Marvell, Chelia Blendy, Yukino Aguria, Saeko Busujima, Saya Takagi, Shizuka Marikawa, Mizore Shurayuki, Blake Belladonna [RWBY], Wiess Schnee [RWBY], Naoto, Rise Fujiwara, Rana Lichen.


	4. Chapter 4

"" - Speech

_'' - Thoughts_

[] - Sacred Gear

**[] - Dragons**

...

Merlin rolled his shoulders as he finished stretching for his sparing matches, having changed his clothes into his usual magician outfit which consisted of a long dark blue trench coat with dark violet trim, that reached his knees, flaring back from his waist to not hinder his legs and was buttoned up to the high collar. Underneath he wore a white dress shirt with black slacks that was tucked into black boots. Black fingerless gloves covered his hands each imprinted with a magic circle on the back on the hand which gave off a brief faint glow before returning to their usual chalky white.

On the far left of the room was numerous gym equipment while Reina and her peerage were sitting on a bench at the side while Riser was sitting on a high backed comfortable chair while his peerage stood around him.

"Mira, Shuriya, Marion and Burent why don't you spar with him first" Riser spoke, drawing surprised looks from the girls which were ignored as Riser asked Reina

"You think this is too much for your new [Bishop]?" Reina kept her gaze on Merlin seeing him give her a small nod before she smiled

"Merlin-san could handle those…"

**[Easily…]** Tiamat added amused, Merlin rolling his eyes at the dragon's confidence in him as he watched two brown haired maids, a girl who looked to be a showgirl move from out of the group and a blue haired girl with a stick came forwards.

"Begin!" Riser called, the girls charging forwards with their weapons to bare as Merlin held his hands out to the side as he spoke

"[Blade-Wing Tonfa]" Gripping the two Tonfa, Merlin deflecting Mira's staff with one and then hitting her in the stomach with the other and knocking her back. He ducked under the feather duster whip that Marion had before leaning out of the way of Burent's broom-spear, using the blade of one Tonfa to cut the shaft of the weapon while the other was coated in lightning and smashed into Burent's face. The resulting thunderclap echoed through the room as the burgundy haired maid was flung backwards and landed unconscious.

Merlin charged forwards at that point, firing a fireball from a magic circle that appeared before two fingers at Shuriya while starting to launch rapid blows towards Mira, the blunette using her staff to bat them away. She was stopped from taking a step back as Merlin stomped on her foot, bringing a tonfa to hit her under her chin and knocked her to the ground. He was forced to jump back as twin fireballs shot from Shuriya and Marion, pointing a finger at Mira and making the ground under her into mud before solidifying it to trap her.

Dismissing the Tonfa, Merlin pointed a hand at Marion and Shuriya each as he spoke "Water Lock!"

Water blasted from out of the ground around the two remaining Pawns, forming into large spheres that caught them both by surprise before they could hold their breaths. They only remained long enough for the girls to nearly fall unconscious before Merlin dispelled it after landing on the ground, letting both girls fall forwards onto their hands and knees and start coughing water up.

**[Good work… Going to explain about the Artificial Sacred Gear then?]** Tiamat asked as Reina and her peerage started cheering and clapping while Riser looked mildly interested.

_'Maybe… Depends if they ask'_ Merlin mentally replied, waving his hand to free Mira as Riser spoke

"Interesting… You're not like most [Bishops]" Merlin shrugged in response, well aware that he didn't fit the standard Magician mold due to his time with the mages of Fairy Tail as he replied

"The magicians I hung around with were mostly close range fighters. I had to learn to take a hit while training with them"

"Well, let's see how you handle my [Bishop] them, Mihae you're next." Riser spoke, getting a nod from the shrine maiden who moved to take her position opposite once the four Pawns had been freed and carried off.

Reina watched as the battle of [Bishops] started, a large smile on her face from seeing Merlin handle half of her brother's [Pawns] at once. Glancing at her peerage, she could tell that they were enjoying what had happened so far: Aya was nearly bouncing in her seat while Kazehana and Kanu were looking impressed, Kira and Madoka were shocked at what they were seeing and Yukari leant closer to speak to her

"Merlin-san looks like he'll be good for heavy fire power in a Rating Game, Reina-sama" Reina nodded in agreement as she watched Merlin and Mihae were exchanging spells with each other, the former easily firing off barrages of spells which had forced the latter to be more defensive and keep her barrier up.

"[Chaos Cannon]" Merlin muttered, gripping his Sacred Gear in his hand as he continued firing lightning spells from the magic circle in his other hand making Mihae's eyes widen at being unable to dodge as he aimed and added

"Drill Shot. Stun Shot" The two bullets shot shot off one after another, the [Drill Shot] was orange-brown with a drill like spiral at the front of it while the [Stun Shot] was pale yellow in colour. The first shattered through the barrier Mihae had before fading to allow the second to hit Mihae in the chest and knock her out.

Merlin cancelled his spells as he took a moment to regain his breathe before aiming the [Chaos Cannon] at Mihae much to the concern of the others as he spoke "Dispel Shot"

The grey round hit Mihae, cancelling the effect of the [Stun Shot] and allowing her to move again as she got up. Sending an impressed look to Merlin, she soon moved back to where the rest of Riser's peerage stood while Riser scowled in thought before speaking "Karlamine, Siris, you're next!"

Both [Knights] drew their blades, Merlin frowning in thought as he dismissed his Sacred Gear only to call his [Blade-wing Tonfa] again and take a ready stance as he thought 'Gonna have to be careful...'

Siris charged first as Merlin flooded his body with magic, reinforcing it as he brought the tonfa up to guard against the downwards strike, while super charging his nerves with lightning magic so he could keep up. It was crude and simple technique but dangerous if he pushed too much due to his damaging his body further.

The clash forced Merlin to grit his teeth from the force of the clash, releasing a short burst of lightning through the tonfa into the Siris' blade and by extension into her hands. During this Merlin was flipping the other tonfa and thrusting out with the, lightning coated, curved blade. His attack missed as she jumped back, only causing a cut along her clothes while Karlamine appearing behind Merlin and swung her flaming sword down only for a magic circle to burst into life and block the surprise attack.

Sparks crackled along the magic circle before a bolt of blue lightning was launched from it, Karlamine just managing to dodge the spell aside from the small amount of lightning that arched down her sword.

From there Siris and Karlamine tag teamed against Merlin, forcing him to dodge or block most of their attacks, the latter with his lightning covered tonfa or a lightning spell circle. With each block, more lightning travelled into the pair of [Knights] from Merlin's tonfa, affecting their muscles and making them have to move slower in case any of them seized up.

Once Merlin had got them slow enough he stamped a foot onto Siris' as to stop her from getting away before launching a punch with a lot of lightning magic infused into it to knock her out. Karlamine shot forwards despite the ache in her muscles, aiming to land a cut along Merlin's side, only to be surprised as Merlin hooked a foot under the large Zweinder and kick the blade up to distract her as he sidestepped the slash before hitting the blunt side of his tonfa into her kidney and then her neck, knocking her out.

Riser angrily gritted his teeth even as Reina and her peerage cheered at Merlin's win, wondering what why none of his peerage so far could handle the Magician.

"Yubelluna, take the rest for the next round" Riser spoke, sending a serious look to his [Queen] as Reina and Ravel shouted

"Onii-san/sama..."

"Reina-sama, don't worry about it... I need the practice anyway" Merlin interrupted, his hair covering his eyes as he waited for the twin green hair girls, twin cat girls, the two [Rooks] and Yubelluna took the field. The others were shocked at hearing that, Reina looking to Yukari and the other girls of her peerage to see them concerned

**[You should be careful. Your Artificial Balance Breaker might break [Blade-wing Tonfa] again despite the reinforcements you put on them]** Tiamat spoke up, Merlin mentally nodding as he replied

_'I know... but if I want to learn how to better use it I need to be able to use it without there being a life or death situation around it. Otherwise we might have trouble like with Heracles.'_ Tiamat nodded in understanding, Merlin lifting his head to look at his opponents as he spoke

"I'll let you have a free shot as well"

"You brat! Think you can handle all of us together, girls let's incinerate this fool" Yubelluna spoke in a haughtily tone, the group quickly creating balls of flames in their hands before firing them at Merlin, only for them all to be shocked at his next two words.

"[Balance Break!]" Merlin spoke, causing shocked gasps from Reina and her peerage just as he was consumed by the flames as Tiamat roared out

**[Sub Species Balance Break: Chaos Dragon Slayer Force]**

Reina watched on nervously, Aya worrying her bottom lip in hope that Merlin was okay as Kanu, Kazehana, Kira and Madoka shared concerned looks and Yukari's hands clenched tighter.

"That little boy didn't know what he was dealing with" Yubelluna smugly retort, not noticing that the flames had started to shrink before Aya called out

"He's alive!"

Eyes turned to see Merlin amidst the flames, widening as Yukari asked "I-Is he... eating those flames!?"

"He looks hot" Kazehana commented with a leer, Kanu nodding in agreement as Reina spoke

"His power is stronger then before right?" Yukari nodded as Kira and Madoka looked at each other before speaking up

"Its like he's turned draconic..."

"I've never heard of a dragon eating flames though"

Merlin finished consuming the flames, taking a deep breathe as his aura flared. His eyes opened and focused on Yubelluna before he spoke "Interesting taste... I guess its my turn"

Yubelluna scowled as she retort "Nel, Ile, take care of him."

"Right" The two girls spoke, revving their chainsaws as they charged at Merlin as Tiamat spoke up to him

**[Seems to be slightly more stable then last time, try not push yourself too far or show off]**

_'Right!'_ Merlin thought back, moving to catch a chainsaw with each hand as he spoke

"Ice Dragon's Glacial Freeze" Icy mist surrounded Merlin's hands before instantly covered the two chainsaws in ice, shocking their users as Merlin let go as blue flames surging over his hand as he added

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist" The punch shattered both chainsaws and flung Nel and Ile away from Merlin.

"First he eats fire and now he can use Ice... What does that [Balance Break] actually do?" Reina spoke amazed as she watched, Merlin duck, weaved away or blocked Xuelan's attacks before Ni and Li joined in and he retaliating.

"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist" Merlin shot back as he hit Xuelan in the stomach with a lightning covered fist and sent her flying with a thunderclap before taking a deep breathe as he launched his next attack.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Ni and Li had little time to get out of the way as lightning slammed into both of them and knocked them out, Merlin turning his attention to Isabella who was charging at him while eating the flames Yubelluna was throwing at him.

Merlin was knocked back by Isabella's punch, using one of his hands to stop himself from skidding back more then a few feet before he slammed the same hand onto the ground as he spoke "Ice Dragon's Arctic Field"

The ground was instantly covering the ground, Isabella slipping during her charge while Yubelluna took to the sky. Merlin skated forwards easily on the ice with lightning arcing over his body as he dodged explosions.

"Ice Dragon's Roar" Merlin spoke as he launched a blizzard of snow and hail from his mouth at Yubelluna, who brought up a fire made shield to block it. The Roar slammed into the shield, the two magics battling for a few seconds before the Roar overpowered it and made cuts and bruises on her body where the shards connected before the pure force knocked her unconscious against at hitting the ceiling of the room.

A cloud of steam alerted Merlin to Isabella getting back to her feet, the ice around her melted as flames covered her hands as the Magician turned to face her. He blinked at seeing Xuelan getting back to her feet behind Isabella, both shooting forwards to punch Merlin who slipped into a fighting stance as he lit his fists in blue flames as he declared

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!"

The barrage of punches that Merlin threw surprised the two [Rooks] as they tried to block and dodge them only to find the Magician's punches continuing at a faster speed. The last punches knocked out both martial artists and left Merlin taking deep breathes before his Balance Breaker de-activated and turned back into his tonfa.

"Amazing!" Aya called, rushing over to Merlin with a bright grin as Reina gave a knowing smirk to Riser as she spoke

"Looks like he's passed with flying colours." Yukari, Kira, Madoka, Kazehana and Kanu soon approached Merlin as well with their own congratulations.

...

Stepping out of the magic circle with Aya next to him, Merlin yawned into one of his hands as the effects of using his artificial [Balance Break] starting to show as the pair came to a stop to see Tsubasa and Sona sitting in the living room, the latter looking up from the reading the magic tome she held to ask "How did it go?"

"Oh it was amazing, Kaichou! Merlin-kun defeated all of Riser-sama's peerage in spars." Aya exclaimed happily, Merlin finding himself smiling as he sat down and watched as the ginger haired young woman talked animatedly about his spars.

"You have a [Balance Break] already?" Sona asked, Merlin nodding in response as he answered

"Its something I made quickly and based on a special type of magic a few friends use called [Dragon Slayer Magic] which obvious is capable of slaying Dragons. Most only know one element but, well, mine is special due to basing it on Tiamat."

"Special...? I assume from what Aya said that its due to you having multiple elements" Sona asked interested and surprised as Merlin nodding as he answered

"Yes."

"I'd like to meet these friends of yours, if it is okay?" Sona asked, Merlin stifling a yawn as he nodded before speaking

"I'm going to head to bed now, Tsubasa-san and Aya-san can show you to the rooms if you choose to stay, Kaichou" Sona nodded in understanding before Aya and Tsubasa wished him a goodnight as he headed to his own room.

...

**(Flashback Start)**

A ten year old Merlin ran between the shadows of buildings as he looked around for the creature hat was hunting him, his parents' home was only a few houses away but he didn't want to lead it back to his home. Held tightly in his left hand was a five foot tall white wooden staff, topped with a powder blue diamond shaped jewel. His appearance was hidden between a green trench coat over thick black slacks, black boots and a dark yellow wide brimmed, pointed hat that was tipped forwards to shield his eyes as he looked around for his attacker.

'I need to avoid that Minotaur or...' Merlin thought, being cut off as the building he was hiding behind shattered as the Minotaur's large fist came through it. The Magician dodging the larger pieces of rubble as he jumped back and tried to work out how to defeat the monster before him.

Frowning, Merlin quickly cast a spell as the Minotaur brought down the large battle axe it held in its other hand on him. The axe bouncing off the white shield that had sprung up around Merlin as he held his staff diagonally in front of himself. The Minotaur raised its axe again to try and break through the shield only for a large bolt of lightning to slam into its body and send it flying away.

"No one lays a hand on my son" A red headed woman spoke, a well fitted white blouse with black slacks and a flowing coat. A yellow magic circle was around her fore and middle fingers which were pointed at where the Minotaur had stood. She stalked forwards, keeping her attention on the monster as she keep firing off lightning bolts from her hand.

A pillar of flames rushed towards Merlin, who turned to see a wall of stone lifting up to block it as his father spoke "Hey kiddo, go take some cover"

Merlin nodded to the black haired man wearing a brown duster coat over a black shirt and slacks, moving to find cover as he watched his father part the stone to reveal the blue haired woman who had attacked him, a flame red staff in her hands.

Explosions erupted around him, knocking Merlin away as he shouted in pain. His gaze instantly moved to the roof of one of the buildings where a young man stood with one hand pointed at him with an orange magic circle on his palm. Pulling himself up, Merlin tightened his grip on his staff as he cast another barrier spell to stop the next barrage of explosive magic.

Once the barrage ended, Merlin switched to offensive as he shot a dozen azure coloured fireballs back at his opponent only for him to miss as the young man jumped down, using a couple magic circles to bounce off and slow his fall.

Merlin dove to dodge a ball of destructive force, fired at him before a flick of his hand and a spell seal created a field of ice around him with dozens of sharp spears jutting out of the ground. He looked on in shock as a dozen magic circles lit up the night, all aimed at him as the young man smirked. Merlin tightening his grip on his staff as he flared his magic to follow an instinct that had suddenly arose, a large pillar of blue flames wrapping around him protectively to stop the spells aimed at him, taking the shape of a large western dragon which roared in defiance, shocking those around as it gained their attention.

"Oh Morgana..." Merlin's mother spoke softly in shock watching as the flame dragon launched a dozen beams of flames from its wings, two each seeming to entwine before slamming into the blue haired woman and the young man and smashing them through the buildings behind them while the remaining beams molded together into a serpent dragon as it slammed into the Minotaur, incinerating it easily.

"I don't think he needs a staff..." His father joked, watching the flames all go out before Merlin collapsed forwards, the parents rushing to check on him only for their eyes to widen at seeing the staff in one hand and the [Chaos Cannon] in the other as his mother spoke

"That's his Sacred Gear..."

**(Flashback End)**

...

**(Flashback Start)**

A twelve year old Merlin wandered through the woods near the large lake that his family were currently living by. He was dressed in his battle clothes as had become his habit since the first time he had become involved in and his white wooden staff was tightly gripped in his hand. He smiled as he looked around at the greenery, thankful for the break in learning to use his Sacred Gear with his magician's magic.

Reaching the edge of the woods which overlooked the large lake, Merlin's eyes widened in surprise at the blue haired sixteen year old beautiful girl that knelt near the edge, taking a sip from the lake with her hands cupping water. She wore a backless white dress that clung to her curvy frame while her aqua blue hair fell to her chest.

Merlin's staff slipped from his fingers, clattering onto the roots under his fist as he cringed at making that sort of mistake as she turned around to face him. The girl suddenly turned around before her eyes locked on his, a smile growing on her face at spotting him, Merlin quickly picking up his staff and attempting to turn to leave before a melodic voice spoke softly yet clearly "Don't go..."

Merlin found himself blushing despite himself as he glanced back at her to see she was walking towards him, her chocolate brown eyes seeming to sparkle as she held her hand out and asked "I'm not going to hurt you... What's your name?"

"M-Merlin" He nervously answered, his blush darkening as she cheerfully replied with a bright smile

"That's a cute name, I'm Nimueh..."

**(Flashback End)**

...

**(Flashback Start)**

A fifteen year old Merlin stood in a large laboratory styled room, bookcases covering one wall while spaced out tables were littered with seemingly random pieces of equipment, ranging from magical items, open magic tomes to mundane items and notebooks that had Merlin's own notes in them.

**[I didn't ever think that [Dragon Slayer Magic] was the sort of thing most Dragons I know would teach]** Tiamat spoke as Merlin was focusing on a pair of blue metal tonfa he was working on, a diamond shaped purple jewel in his hand, as he retort

"Well they must have had a good reason for it. Although its not like people in Fiore have any knowledge of Dragon Slayer weaponry"

**[So... You planning to try and link my power into those Tonfa then so I will be the source for the Dragon Slayer Magic?]** Tiamat asked, Merlin nodding as he answered

"Yeah, you know the last time I tried to make these the artificial dragon crystal I made wouldn't even accept the idea of drawing power from it. I figured if [Chaos Cannon] can normally let me shoot magic with other effects it should be possible to work out and harness a Dragon Slayer element with it."

Fiddling with the jewel and one of the tonfa, Merlin attached them together and ensure it would stay attached by using magic to make the join permanent as Tiamat spoke up **[If this was any other dragon they wouldn't understand why you want a weapon that fits your own weakness but with the Heroes around... Just make sure you don't skimp on understanding the Dragon Slayer aura as the last thing I want is you to be hurt. Especially after seeing the destructive power that Fire Dragon Slayer had in Hargeon.]**

"I know..." Merlin replied, recalling the fight between the two fire mages before an image of the blonde young woman flashed up in his mind before Tiamat spoke up amused

**[Nice to see you're taking an interest in the opposite sex, Merlin... especially after her]** Merlin flustered at hearing that, attempting to deny it only to give up at hearing her gently laughing and deciding to focus back on his current project.

"Hey did you see the babe amongst the mages we captured?" A male voice spoke from the doorway, Merlin turning to see a pair of young men walking by as the other replied

"Yeah, that one is a real looker" Merlin frowned as he watched the pair walk away, having moved to the doorway to hear better before he thought to himself

_'Why would they be capturing Mages? It doesn't make sense.'_

**[That's right...Maybe we should check it out]** Tiamat spoke with a frown, Merlin nodding before checking that the defensive magic over the room was up as he left and headed off down the corridor towards the prison area of the base.

He slowed down once he neared the guard post before where prisoners would be kept, taking a moment to calm down before checking the holster for his [Chaos Cannon], so he could blend in with the other mages, was on his left thigh. Activating and holstering his Sacred Gear, Merlin then started to walk around the corner towards the guards, seeing them snap to attention at spotting him.

"Ambrosias-sama, are you here to interview the prisoners?" One of the guards asked, Merlin frowning before nodding once before the guards relaxed and opened the door to let him enter.

The room he entered was a large waiting room space, security cameras set up to watch the prisoners while a couple guards sat around.

"What warranted these people's capture" Merlin asked once he approached the monitors, the guards jumping in surprise as one stammered back

"A-Ambrosias-sama, they were caught on Faust-sama's orders so we could study their magic and recruit the strongest." Internally Merlin was angry at hearing that but kept a stern visage as he nodded slowly and retort

"I recall Georg-san mentioning that... Have they been doing or saying anything interesting?" The two guards turned to focus on the monitors as one of the underlings spoke

"Aside from that hot blonde, nothing..." None of them noticed as Merlin drew [Chaos Cannon] from where he stood or hearing a near silent murmur of "Stun Shot" before he quickly shot each one and knocking them out without any issue.

**[Well that is the first part done.]** Tiamat mused as Merlin holstered his gun before moving towards the door to the cells so he could finally talk to the prisoners. Taking a moment to close his eyes and concentrate, Merlin tapped into one of the magics that he had started to learn while being in Fiore: Thought Projection Magic. Looking at his copy he checked he'd done it right before nodding and speaking

"Go back to the lab and make sure they don't think I'm involved with this" His copy nodded before moving to the door, Merlin having to use a small bit of magic to open it and hide the fact his Thought Projection wasn't solid.

Entering to see the large cell filled with a dozen people, Merlin frowned as they all started yelling at him to release them, holding up a hand to hopefully calm them as he spoke "Please calm down. I have nothing to do with your captures and will be helping release you but you need to all calm down."

"Why should we believe you!?" One of the men shouted, Merlin mentally sighing as he answered

"At the moment, I'm your only means to escape without all of the people here finding out so either trust me or stay here."

"Can you really get us out?" Lucy asked, Merlin nodding as he moved to the door, lifting his hand and creating a magic circle on it as Tiamat spoke to him

**[Looks like that failed experiment is going to be of some use, huh?]** Said failed experiment was an attempt to make an magical explosive that would be re-useable although Merlin's results ended up with it being unable to not instantly exploding at room temperature. He'd sealed them away in a small vault he'd made a safe distance from his laboratory.

"Everyone stay still for a moment!" Merlin called, focusing as he created an illusion to hide the prison break he was about to orcestrate. Casting it, he heard suprised gasps as people found themselves seeing copies of themselves before a loud explosion rocked the building.

"What was that?" One of the men shouted, Merlin moving to unlock the door as he answered

"That is our diversion. Now follow me and don't wander off."

Merlin turned back towards the door he entered, drawing the [Chaos Cannon] as a precaution. In the security room, Merlin took a moment to wipe all of the security tapes before Lucy asked nervously

"Are they dead?" Merlin turned to see her standing near him, her gaze locked on one of the guards as he answered

"No. They are just knocked out."

**[The two guards outside have left.]** Tiamat spoke to Merlin as he moved to check the corridor before turning back and speaking

"Come on. It's clear now." Merlin started to lead the others, the blonde mage sticking near him as the Magician took his time to check around corners.

It wasn't long before they left the base, Merlin relaxing as the prisoners all seemed to cheer happily and started to run towards the nearest village down the bottom of the large hill.

"Thank you." Lucy spoke, hugging a surprised Merlin as he retort

"It was nothing... I didn't agree to hurting innocent people."

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia by the way." Lucy replied once she let go, Merlin hearing Tiamat snickering in his mind as he introduced himself

"Merlin Ambrosias."

"Will you be okay? I mean if they find out it was you" Lucy asked concerned, Merlin smirking as he replied with a nod

"Yeah, I should be fine."

"LUCY!" Natsu's voice filled the air, making the blonde turn to see the pink haired Dragon Slayer running towards her. Smiling at seeing her friend, she spoke

"You know if you have any trouble you could come to Fairy Tail with us..." Lucy waited for a response before turning to see Merlin had disappeared, frowning annoyed at him going without telling her before Happy collided with her.

_'Need to make sure I get all the artefacts and books along with my stuff. Also need to find out what deal Georg made with that Phantom Lord Guild.'_ Merlin thought as he silently ran back into the base.

**(Flashback End)**

...

**(Flashback Start)**

Merlin looked around relaxed as he walked on the dirt road, since leaving the Khaos Brigade and claiming anything magical that they had in storage and his own laboratory, he had been travelling around Fiore and enjoying practising some of the magic he was learning while doing a few little jobs.

_'Wonder where I should go next?'_ Merlin thought to himself as he walked, he knew there was a resort somewhere nearby but it was mainly booked up due to how popular it was and needed to obtain tickets for it beforehand.

"Merlin!" The familiar voice of Lucy called, Merlin blinking and turning to see the blonde rushing towards him with Natsu, Happy, Gray and Erza running behind her.

"Oh hey Lucy." Merlin replied before he was all but clotheslined by the young woman who then starting to shake him by the collar of his shirt as she retort

"Don't 'hey Lucy' me! You headed back into that place after you saved me and the others. I was worried you got found out for that as well and you could have at least said bye to me."

"Relax... I just had to grab my stuff from there and make my displeasure known to a few people inside" Merlin replied, recalling the fight wiht Georg he had which had further destroyed the base as they traded spells in the hallways.

"Whose this Luce?" Happy asked curiously from where he was flying, Natsu sniffing the air before he added

"I've smelt him before."

"Obviously if he saved Lucy from Phantom Lord then you would have." Gray retorted, Erza nodding as she looked over the Magician curiously.

"Ah..." Lucy started, letting go of Merlin and turning to her friends as she spoke

"This is Merlin Ambrosias. Oh and this is Erza Scarlett, Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster and Happy"

"Nice to meet you." Merlin replied to the three people and one flying cat. Erza was the first to come forwards, nearly crushing his hand in the handshake as she spoke

"Nice to meet you, thank you for helping Lucy"

"Yeah, there was no idea what those goons would do with her." Gray added, Merlin waving him off as he retorted

"Don't worry about it. I set back everything they were doing by months at a guess."

"Wow, that must mean you're pretty strong, huh?" Happy spoke as he floated around Merlin, getting an interested, almost eager, look from Natsu who grinned as he called

"Hey, fight me!" Erza hit his head to stop him as she spoke sternly

"You don't go challenging someone you only just met to a fight, Natsu."

"Aye." Natsu groaned in response, Merlin arching an eyebrow as Lucy asked

"So are you heading to Akane Resort?"

"Oh just going that way, I guess..." Merlin answered with a shrug, Lucy smiling brightly as she spoke

"Great, you can come with us then."

"Wait, what?" Merlin spoke surprised as Lucy started to pull him along by his arm, a small tugging on Erza's lips as she spoke up

"We do have a spare ticket, I suppose..."

"Just go with it... Not worth arguing with both of them, Merlin." Gray spoke with a smirk as Natsu and Happy grinned, the three amused at what was going on, as the later added

"Aye!"

**(Flashback End)**

...

Sona gasped as she was forced out of viewing any more of Merlin's memories, waking with a start and finding herself looking at a scowling Merlin who asked in an annoyed tone "What are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to find out about your past so I can help you..." Sona answered, sitting up as Merlin got out of his bed and pulled his glasses on as he replied

"My past is my business so you shouldn't be prying into it Kaichou."

Sona watched as Merlin re-quipped a set of clothes, consisting of a dark blue hooded jacket over a dark purple t-shirt, black skinny jeans and black sneakers before he left the room. She sighed to herself after he left, adopting a thinking pose as she thought to herself _'He use to use a staff... but either its not helpful to him or he's purposefully limiting his own power. But his level of magic when saving that girl Lucy, there is nothing like that amongst the Magician organisations I know of. I wonder who that girl, Nimueh is...'_

...

Merlin sighed as he walked the streets of Kuoh in the early morning, his hands moving to flip the hood up as he thought _'It doesn't make sense for her to root around through my memories... At least she only saw my leaving from the Khaos Brigade and meeting with Nimeuh. I don't think I could handle questions as about what happened to her.'_

**[It will all come up sooner or later, Merlin. This just means that you may have to talk about it sooner then later.]** Tiamat replied, Merlin mentally sighing as he understood what she mean as he continued his wandering.

...

Merlin stopped as he reached the park where his life changed at the hands of that Fallen Angel and Heracles. He took a moment to admire how Sona and Reina had undone all of the damage the fight had caused before he spotted Saji training. The [Pawn] was dashing between two sticks that were set up about ten metres apart, barely noticing Merlin till he paused to pick up a bottle of water.

"What are you doing here?" Saji asked with a sneer, Merlin frowning at him as he countered

"I was just walking around Saji, no need to jump down my throat." Saji stopped at that, taking a moment to think as Merlin added

"Anyway you care to explain about your mood towards me?"

"…Kaichou's mine so don't try anything" Saji retorted trying to sound more confident then he actually was as Merlin shrugged as he turned around

"Fine… I have enough on my plate already." Saji relaxed upon hearing that, watching as Merlin sat down on a nearby bench as the [Pawn] asked

"What are you doing out this early in the morning?"

"Kaichou was trying to find out about my past while I was asleep" Merlin answered as he lay on the full length of the bench resting his hands under the back of his head.

"She's only trying to help you…" Saji replied honestly as he looked at the Magician.

"My past is my own, not for her to know unless I want to tell. Anyway living for the now is more important." Merlin retorted as he cast a wary gaze at Saji who nodded in agreement.

"No asking about your past got it." Saji spoke as Merlin gave him a small smile and a nod before he looked thoughtfully at his fellow [Pawn] as he asked

"Why'd you join Kaichou's peerage? Other then your crush on her."

"Well..." Saji started embarrassed, taking a moment to gather his thoughts as Merlin added

"I mean you have to have a pretty good reason for giving up your freedom and putting your soul in the hands of someone you don't know. No matter how attractive you think she is."

"I've always admired Kaichou's intelligence and determination, I mean she worked to be part of the Student Council in her first year. She's also done a lot of great things for the school as well during that time. Also... she told me her dream for the future, to build a school to teach all class of devils about Rating Games." Saji explained, a look of admiration on his face as he looked to the sky. Merlin getting a thoughtful look before a horrific screech broke the silence.

"Great... Looks like they found me." Merlin grumbled as he jumped back to his feet, Saji taking a step back as a large worm-like monster burst out of the bushes. It was easily five metres long and half that wide with two beady black eyes that sat atop a circular mouth full of teeth while long tentacles flailed around from its body, some ending as mantis like scythes while others had snake heads. Between its eyes were a camera that seemed attached to be embedded into its body.

"What the hell is that?" Saji asked disgusted, pointing at the monster as Merlin activated his Sacred Gear as he answered

"That's a Chimera, Saji..."

_'This is definitely their work...But how did they find me here.'_ Merlin thought, glancing at Saji as he spoke seriously

"Go get Kaichou... I'll deal with this." Aiming his gun at the Chimera as Saji looked unsure as he asked

"You sure you can handle that on your own."

"No way! I can help out as well." Saji retorted resolutely, Merlin arching an eyebrow before a screech drew the pair's attention back onto the worm Chimera.

...

"At last we have found him..." A shadowed figure spoke, getting nods from the few others in the room watching the video attached to the Hell Worm.

"We'll make him pay for defying our path for him" Another voice retorted angrily before another sneered

"That abomination isn't even human any longer!"

...

A blue haired young woman watched the teen through the pool of water before her, the large pair of butterfly shaped, semitransparent wings extended from her long backless white dress showing that she was a fairy as she watched thoughtfully as Merlin and Saji stood against the worm Chimera. She mentally cursed her twin sister for what she did to him and all just for trying to obtain power and wealth.

'Legends repeat and yet while they don't follow the same pattern the results end up the same' She thought sadly as she pondered over what to do to make it up for the mage, turning as she heard one of the other Fairies speak

"Ojou-sama, don't you think we should step in?"

"No, Gator. We should see how much Merlin has improved since the last time he fought one of his relatives' creations." The blue haired fairy replied seriously as she glanced back to see the redhead fairy frown in annoyance before bowing.

...

Author's Notes

Sorry for how long the delay on his chapter being completed had a lot of trouble deciding what would be in the chapter to begin with. Not sure what I should really put here at this time aside from the worm chimera is based on the thorian from Mass Effect 1 and that this chapter isn't as long as I would like it to be.


End file.
